Fresh Fig Bacon Blue Cheese Pizza Food

FRESH FIG, BACON + BLUE CHEESE PIZZA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine water, yeast, honey and olive oil. Mix with a spoon, then let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add in 2 1/2 cups flour and salt, stirring with a spoon until the dough comes together but it still sticky. Using your hands, form the dough into a ball and work in the additional 1/2 cup flour, kneading it on a floured surface for a few minutes. Rub the same bowl with olive oil then place the dough inside, turning to coat. Cover with a towel and place in a warm place to rise for about 1-1 1/2 hours.
• After the dough has risen, punch it down and place it back on the floured surface. Using a rolling pin or your hands, form it into your desired shape (sometimes I use baking sheets and do rectangles or free form pizzas - this specific dough will yield one pizza large enough to feed about 3-4 people) and place on a baking sheet or pizza peel. Place the towel back over the dough and let sit in the warm place for 10 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. (I actually used a pizza stone and heated my oven to 450 degrees, and baked for 15 minutes. If you're just using a baking sheet, follow the directions below for baking and set to 375 degrees.)
• Assemble the dough on a peel or baking sheet. Cover with a drizzle of olive oil and the garlic cloves, then spread on half of the fontina cheese. Add figs and bacon all over the pizza, then top with remaining fontina and blue cheese. Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until cheese and crust is golden and bubbly. Remove and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Toss the arugula with olive oil, salt and pepper, then add on top of pizza. Serve!

PROSCIUTTO WRAPPED FIGS AND BLUE CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat grill. You will need medium to high heat for grilling. The key is to crisp the prosciutto quickly and leave the blue cheese just melted with the inner part of the fig cool in temperature.
• Cut the figs in half and place a piece of blue cheese on each fig half. Wrap the prosciutto around each fig half, covering the cheese. The ends of the prosciutto should overlap.
• Grill each piece until the prosciutto begins to color and crisp, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from grill, lightly drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and season with sea salt and pepper. Serve warm.

FLATBREAD WITH FRESH FIGS, MONTEREY JACK, BLUE CHEESE AND RED WINE REDUCED VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• For the vinaigrette: Combine the wine, fennel seeds, peppercorns and thyme in a wide shallow saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced to 1/4 cup. Strain the mixture into a blender and discard the solids.
• Add the vinegar and salt to taste and blend to combine. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil until emulsified; add the honey to taste.
• For the dough: Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a large bowl and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in 3 cups flour and the salt, stirring until smooth. Stir in an additional 2 cups flour. Continue adding the flour (up to 1/2 cup), 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring until the dough comes away from the bowl but is still sticky.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead with lightly floured hands. Start by slapping the dough onto the counter, pulling it toward you with one hand and pushing it away from you with the other. Fold the dough back over itself (use a bench scraper or a wide knife to help scrape the dough from the surface). Repeat until it's easier to handle, about 10 times. Finish kneading normally until the dough is smooth, elastic and soft, but a little tacky, about 10 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl; turn to coat. Cover with plastic and let rise in a warm place until it doubles in volume, 3 hours. Press it with your finger to see if it's done; an indent should remain.
• Prepare the charcoal in a chimney starter (allowing the charcoal to burn until all the charcoal is covered with a thin layer of gray ash). Add to the grill and create a two-level fire by spreading the coals out over half the grill bottom, piling them up in a mound 3 briquettes high, leaving the other half with no coals.
• Remove the dough from the bowl, divide in half and shape each half into a ball. Brush with oil and set aside for 30 minutes.
• Stretch and shape each ball of dough into a 12 by 10-inch rectangle or round on a flat surface. Brush the tops of each with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let rest for 15 minutes. Place on the grill directly over the coals, oiled side down, and grill until lightly golden brown, about 1 minute. Flip over and grill for 1 minute longer.
• Place the flatbreads on a flat surface and divide the Monterey Jack cheese evenly over the top. Arrange the cut figs on top and the blue cheese around the figs. Return to the grill on the opposite side of the coals, for indirect heat, close the cover and cook until the cheese has melted and the figs are heated through, about 5 minutes. Remove from the grill and drizzle with some of the red wine vinaigrette and garnish with parsley leaves. Cut and serve immediately.

FIG, PROSCIUTTO AND BLUE CHEESE PIZZA

Steps:

• For the dough: In a small bowl, combine the yeast with the sugar and 3/4 cup warm water. Let sit for 10 minutes until it begins to foam.
• In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour and salt and make a well in the center. Add the yeast mixture and the olive oil. Using a fork, incorporate the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients until a dough forms. On a lightly floured surface, continue to work and then knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
• Lightly coat a clean bowl with additional olive oil and add the dough, turning once to coat the dough in oil. Cover and set in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Punch down the dough and divide it into 2 pieces, using 1 piece for the pizza. Wrap the remaining dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze for another pizza.
• For the pizza: Stretch the dough into a 12-inch circle that will fit on the grill pan. Add the dough to the hot grill pan and cook until stiff and bubbles start to form, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side until grill marks form and the dough is completely cooked through, 1 to 2 more minutes.
• Transfer the crust to a baking sheet. Lay the prosciutto slices over the crust, then top with the figs and blue cheese. Bake until the cheese melts, about 7 minutes. Serve immediately.

PIZZA WITH FIGS, PROSCIUTTO, GORGONZOLA, BALSAMIC, AND ARUGULA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Sprinkle large rimless baking sheet generously with cornmeal. Roll out dough on floured work surface to 12x10-inch rectangle; transfer to prepared sheet. Sprinkle Gorgonzola over dough. Sprinkle with pepper. Place figs in medium bowl; drizzle 1 tablespoon vinegar over. Set aside.
• Bake pizza until crust is golden brown on bottom, 15 to 20 minutes. Immediately drape prosciutto slices over, covering pizza completely. Arrange fig slices atop prosciutto. Bake until figs are just heated through, about 1 minute. Transfer pizza to cutting board. Whisk remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar and oil in large bowl; add arugula. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Mound salad atop pizza. Cut into pieces and serve.

GRILLED FRESH FIGS AND BLUE CHEESE

Steps:

• Cut the figs in half lengthwise and put a tablespoon of blue cheese on top of each half. Top this mixture with a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar.
• Put figs on a warm grill and cook until the cheese melts and the figs are heated through.
• Serve and enjoy!

BACON-WRAPPED FIGS STUFFED WITH BLUE CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°; line a baking sheet with foil.
• Lay bacon on the baking sheet and bake for 5-7 minutes, until the bacon has rendered some fat but is still pliable; drain on paper towels.
• Cut each strip of bacon in half and lay it on a cutting board.
• Slit the figs lengthwise, making a small pocket.
• Push about 1 teaspoon of the crumbled cheese into the pocket and close the slit.
• Place the fig on the bacon and roll the bacon around the fig, securing with a toothpick.
• Repeat with the remaining bacon, figs, and cheese.
• Transfer figs to a 9 x 13 inch baking dish, placing them about ½ inch apart.
• Bake in 400° oven for 10 minutes, or until bacon is crisp; remove from baking dish and serve hot or warm.
• **Make Ahead or OAMC: after step 8, Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.
• Defrost the figs in the refrigerator overnight, if necessary.
• Preheat oven to 400°; let figs come to room temperature for about 20 minutes.
• Bake for 10 minutes, or until bacon is crisp; remove from baking dish and serve hot or warm.

MAGGIE AND PETER'S BLUE CHEESE AND FIG PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Place a frying pan on medium heat and add a dash of olive oil. Uncase the sausage and fork it in small pieces into the frying pan. Cook the sausage for about 7 minutes until done.
• Roll out the pizza dough to the desired shape and thickness. Brush a thin layer of olive oil onto the pizza and then sprinkle on the garlic. Add the mozzarella and blue cheeses to the top of the pizza dough. Then add the sausage and figs. Finally sprinkle on the rosemary and radicchio.
• Cook the pizza for 8-10 until the cheese is bubbly and the crust is beginning to brown.

FRESH FIG, CARAMELIZED ONION AND GOAT CHEESE GOURMET PIZZA

Steps:

• In a pan saute onions in oil till a caramel color, set aside to cool completely.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Roll out dough on a floured surface to 1 inch thick. You can make it round or square all a matter of taste.
• Place on a pan that is dusted with corn meal.
• Spread a thin coat of olive oil on dough.
• Arrange goat cheese, figs cut side up, cooled onions around on crust.
• Top with mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with rosemary.
• Place in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.
• ALTERNATE method:.
• If grilling preheat grill to medium high.
• Oil one side and place on a clean oiled grill and grill for 4-5 minutes.
• Flip and then lightly spread olive oil on dough.
• Arrange goat cheese, figs cut side up, cooled onions around on crust.
• Top with mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with rosemary.
• Cook a couple more minutes.