Fresh Fig, Caramelized Onion, and Goat Cheese Pizza

 

I'm back with yet again another pizza recipe, but what I love about pizza is that it can be so versatile.  We make pizza about once a week in my house, and we have yet to have a repeat offender. We have done everything form a leftover Thanksgiving turkey pizza, to a breakfast pizza, to a sausage and pepper pizza. But today is all about the sweet side of the pizza world. Onions when caramelized take on a very sweet note, and well, figs are just the sweetest little morsels to ever grace this planet. Especially when topped with a little sea salt and honey. Mmmmm, I'm getting side tracked in a foodie day dream here. But don't be alarmed that this pizza is too sweet. The saltiness of the cheese and the flaky sea salt cut through some of the sugar, which balances out perfectly. And trust me when I tell you that you won't even miss the sauce that you would have on a standard pie. My boyfriend is an avid sauce lover, and when he saw me preparing this, he was like, "what sauce are you going to use?". When I told him none, I thought I had lost him for good, but the trooper that he is went along on this adventure with me and didn't mention the sauce once! He was too busy shoving his face with pizza.

 

Fresh Fig, Caramelized Onion, and Goat Cheese Pizza

Ingredients:

• 1 ball pizza dough
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• cornmeal for dusting cooking surface
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 4-6 black mission figs, chopped
• 5 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
• sea salt for garnish

 

In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, add in the sliced onion, then season with salt and pepper. Toss the onions well to coat in the oil and then lower the heat to low. Allow the onions to cook and caramelize for about 15-20 minutes. They will turn a deep purple color and will be very aromatic.

Once the onions are cook, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare a pizza stone or large baking sheet by dusting it in cornmeal.  Stretch our pizza dough into a large round, as bis as will fit onto your stone or baking sheet. Place on the prepared sheet and cook in the oven for 5 minutes.

Remove the dough from the oven and then top with the shredded mozzarella cheese. Then evenly cover the pizza with the caramelized onions, the chopped figs, and the goat cheese. Place back in the oven and cook for 15 minutes or so, until the crust is golden brown and the cheese has melted.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with just a little bit of flaky sea salt. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.