What ingredients have been lurking in the back corners of your fridge? For me, it's black garlic. I bought a (rather expensive) jar of peeled black garlic cloves more than two months ago for a recipe testing project, and since then, the most contact I've had with said jar is to swipe it out of the way for new groceries every Sunday afternoon. So, in the spirit of almost-spring cleaning (and the current snow storm that's trapped me inside), here's a black garlic pizza with shallot, two and a half cheeses (ricotta, fresh mozzarella, and heavy cream), and the fresh herbs I happened to have on hand (tarragon and parsley).
"What grows together goes together" has a nice ring to it, sure, but how about "what lingers in the fridge together goes together"?
If you don't just happen to have a a jar of black garlic in your fridge, feel free to substitute 2 large garlic cloves, very thinly sliced. Obviously, this will take out that earthy-sweet, almost fruity flavor of the fermented garlic cloves, but the garlic-cheese-cream-herb deliciousness will be there in spades. Got a head or two of garlic and 2 to 3 weeks? Why not make your own black garlic?
White Pizza with Black Garlic and Ricotta
Ingredients
- 1 (14- to 16-ounce) ball pizza dough
- extra-virgin olive oil for brushing the dough
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 shallot thinly sliced
- 1-½ tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
- 5 cloves black garlic thinly sliced
- ½ cup ricotta
- ⅓ cup shredded fresh mozzarella
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Place your pizza stone or steel (if using) on an oven rack in the middle of your oven. If you plan to cook your pizza on a baking sheet, just place a rack in the middle of the oven (you do not need to preheat the baking sheet). Preheat the oven to 500°F (or the highest temperature your oven will allow, if using a pizza stone/steel) and let it heat up for at least 30 minutes while you make the dough and/or prep the toppings.
To stretch or roll out the dough
- Place the dough on a clean work surface and, using your hands, gently stretch it into a 12-inch circle or square, making sure that it retains an even thickness throughout. Alternatively, use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a 12-inch circle or square.
- If you’re using a pizza stone or steel: Dust a pizza peel or the back of a baking sheet lightly with flour or cornmeal. Place the dough disk on the prepared peel.
- If you’re using a baking sheet: Spray the baking sheet with cooking spray. Place the dough disk on the prepared baking sheet.
To top the pizza
- Brush the dough all over with olive oil, making sure to get all the way to the edges. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then the shallot, and then half of the parsley and half of the tarragon. Scatter the black garlic evenly on top. Drop little dollops of ricotta all over the pizza, scatter on the mozzarella, and drizzle the cream over all.
To bake the pizza
- If you’re using a pizza stone or steel, 20 minutes before you are ready to cook the pizza, increase the oven heat to broil. Slide the pizza from the peel (or inverted baking sheet) to the hot stone or steel using quick shimmying movements. Broil the pizza until the crust is golden and the cheese begins to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Using the peel or inverted baking sheet, transfer the cooked pizza to a cutting board. If you are making more than one pizza, allow the pizza stone or steel to reheat under the broiler for 10 minutes before you cook the next one.
- If you’re using a baking sheet, do not increase the oven to broil. Place the baking sheet on the rack in the middle of the oven and bake until the crust is golden and the cheese begins to brown, about 10 minutes.
To finish
- Immediately after you take the pizza out of the oven, top with the remaining parsley and tarragon and season with a little more salt and pepper. Slice and serve.
Boogster says
I made this tonight with a few minor changes.
I used “Pizza Buddy Dough” that I had let rise for two,days in the bag in the frig, then froze it. I thawed and used it now, about two weeks later, thawing it out in the frig starting the morning before cooking it. This morning I placed the floured dough in a large s/s bowl that I’d coated with olive oil then put a damp cloth over it. I found that doing this makes the dough when cooked more like NY Pizza, more Chewy with bigger air pockets (the way I like it).
I was not able to.get fresh tarragon so used dry at about 2/3 the amount of fresh. I also used a pizza stone but did not pre-heat it.
I pre-heated the oven to 425° F. I made the pizza “disk” about 13” in diameter, the max size my white Pampered Chef stone allows. That made the crust in the middle pretty thin. I cooked it for 15 minutes. It turned out great, dough cooked perfectly, the mozzarella a little over-cooked but everything else just right.
This pizza exceeded my expectations.
Peggy Paul Casella says
Yes! I love when people adjust my recipes to their own tastes/equipment preferences. So glad it worked out!