AS SEEN ON BT – Entertain with a cracker thin crust artisanal pizza for brunch or dinner as a bon voyage to summer. Fennel and crispy prosciutto are a delectable complement to silky-creamy Ontario scrambled eggs.
Makes 4 (12-inch pizzas)
Pizza Dough
1 Tbsp (15 mL) instant yeast
2/3 cup (160 mL) warm water
2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
1 large egg
1 Tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
Toppings
1 large fennel bulb, stems removed, peeled and sliced thinly
½ tsp (1 mL) salt, divided
¼ tsp (1 mL) black pepper
1 Tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
1 Tbsp (15 mL) butter
4 large Ontario Eggs
2 Tbsp (15 mL) half and half cream
½ cup (125 mL) store bought tomato sauce
2 cups (500 mL) shredded mozzarella
1 pack prosciutto (100 g)
Fennel fonds for garnishing
Smoked paprika or pink peppercorns for garnishing
1. To prepare the pizza dough, in a small bowl, combine yeast with warm water and stir to dissolve.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with dough hook attachment, add flour and salt. Add egg, olive oil and mix. Gradually add the yeast mixture, let dough form into a pliable ball (if the dough is too soft, add a little more flour).
3. Dust a clean surface with flour and knead the dough about 10 times, separate into 4 individual balls and let rest for 15 minutes.
4. Dust the surface with flour again. Using a rolling pin, roll out the first ball of dough into a triangular shape, evenly 1/8-inch (3 mm) thick for a thin crust pizza.
5. Pierce the dough with a fork or a pastry docker to promote even baking. Set the dough aside on a 12-inch (30 cm) pizza pan sprayed with oil.
6. Preheat oven to 500˚F (260˚C) or fire up the grill to 400 °F (200°C). Heat a medium skillet with oil, over medium-high heat, add fennel and cook for 3 minutes, until al dente. Season with ¼ tsp salt, pepper, set aside on a plate.
7. In a medium bowl, add eggs, cream, remaining salt, and whisk. Heat large skillet with the oil and butter over medium heat to melt. Add eggs, and scramble to a soft purée consistency of scrambled eggs. Remove from heat immediately, let cool for 5 minutes, add to a piping bag, hold in a cup.
8. Spread 3 Tbsp (45 mL) of the tomato sauce over each pizza dough and add 1 ½ cups of mozzarella cheese, Pipe egg mixture onto pies (only if preferred fully-cooked eggs), add prosciutto (into rose spirals), around pies (for crispier prosciutto bake separately for 5 minutes).
9. Transfer pizzas to the preheated oven. Bake for 3–4 minutes for crispy crust thin pizzas, turning halfway between baking. Garnish with fennel fonds, paprika and serve with guasacaca to spoon over pizza slices.
TIP: If you prefer creamier and slightly runny eggs as I do, pipe the scramble egg purée onto the pie, after baking. The heat with continue to cook the eggs slightly, and you’ll also have the option to flash it in the oven for a few seconds.
Guasacaca (Venezuelan and Dominican Guacamole)
Makes 3 cups
Ingredients
2 large ripe avocados, seeded
1/4 bunch chives
3 green onions
1 cup (250 mL) Italian parsley leaves
1/4 bunch fresh cilantro, culantro or shado beni,
1 tsp (5 mL) fresh thyme leaves
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup (60 mL) white (or rice) wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lime
3 Tbsp (45 mL) extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine all ingredients (except for oil) purée until smooth.
2. With the motor running, gradually add oil until consistency is smooth. Keep in refrigerator.
