Fuji Apple, Pear & Prosciutto Pizza

Pizza comes in all sizes, shapes and thicknesses; in all flavors from sweet to savory (or somewhere in between); sauced and unsauced; cheesy and cheese-less. And, they get pulled from hot ovens, outdoor barbecues… and even stovetop skillets… crisp, golden and delicious… for snacking or for dining. They are a versatile fixing, to say the least.

One of my all-time favorite ways to deliver a pie is to mix both sweet and savory components. There’s something magically delicious and intriguing when these two ends of the flavor spectrum come together in a pizza. Then pop it with a little salty tang… by way of crisp prosciutto (in this case) and a mixture of cheeses (also in this case), and you have a delectable bite that sings all the taste notes beautifully.

While I typically toss pizzas onto an outdoor grill, this one was popped into my kitchen oven. Keeping to their versatility, they aren’t too particular as to where they get cooked… or how, for that matter. Baking sheets, parchment paper, pizza stones… they all work great. While a metal surface might add a few more minutes to your cooking time, the key to successful pizza making (regardless of which method you choose) is high heat (450- to 500-degree F oven).

Here, I’ve used thin slices of Stemilt’s Fuji apple and Tosca pear varieties as the lead flavor points. Both are excellent choices… deliciously sweet, firm, and juicy. The Fuji apple is actually one of the sweetest apple varieties available and keeps beautifully, making it a great choice when it comes to shelf life consideration. Tosca pears (only available from Stemilt for a brief time each year) is also a perfect choice. Tosca is the first pear off the tree in Washington State each year and available in limited places through the month of September. If you can’t find Tosca pears near you, then look to Bartlett pears to add a similar flavor to this pizza recipe. The two types of pears are very closely related!

I used a pizza stone and store-bought, fresh pizza dough in this recipe. While some may prefer a rolling pin, I like using my hands, letting the dough pull and shape organically to an approximate one-quarter inch thickness. Once dropped onto your stone, you can adjust the shape a bit more. I lightly brush the top with extra virgin olive oil and pop it into a 450 degree F. oven for about 4 to 5  minutes, rotate it a bit and cook it another 3 to 4 minutes before turning it over, repeating the light olive oil brushing, and returning it to cook for another 3 to 4 minutes before topping it with fixings. Slivers of red onion, and slices of apple and pear are lightly sautéed before being added as toppings. When your crust is ready to get topped, there’s first a light spread of a fig preserve mixture and a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese that go down as a base for your delightful slices of lightly sautéed apples, pears, and red onion. After a few minutes, little dollops of Cambozola cheese get added to the party and the pie pops back onto a higher rack in the oven to finish up. A crumble of crisp oven-baked prosciutto and a hearty tangle of fresh arugula bring it all together, serving up one delicious sweet-savory pie as a wonderful lunch or dinner entrée… or great little appetizer when sliced up into smaller portions.

Fuji Apple, Pear & Prosciutto Pizza

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Nutritional Information

Ingredients

• 1 lb fresh pizza dough
• cornmeal and/or flour, to dust prep surface
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 tbsp fig preserves/jam
• 1 Stemilt Fuji apple, thinly sliced
• 1 Stemilt Tosca pear, thinly sliced
• 1 quarter medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 thin slices prosciutto
• 1 generous cup shredded mozzarella
• 2 oz Cambozola cheese
• 3 to 4 cups fresh baby arugula

Apples, pears, figs and prosciutto combine to make a delicious sweet-savory pie.

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• Yield
  8 servings servings
• Prep time
  00:25
• Cook time
  00:25
• Total time
  00:50
• Cuisine
  American
• In Category
  main
• Level
  Easy

Apples, pears, figs and prosciutto combine to make a delicious sweet-savory pie.

Instructions

1. Place baking stone on lower rack of cold oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Place prosciutto on a baking sheet and bake on middle rack at 350 degrees F for approximately 10 to 12 minutes, until crisp.
2. Remove from oven and set aside. Turn oven up to 450 degrees F and allow pizza stone to further heat up. (You don’t want to put a cold stone into a hot oven or it might crack).
3. In a skillet set over medium high heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to heat through. Add onion to skillet and sauté for approximately 1 minute.
4. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Using the same skillet, sauté apple slices for approximately 1 minute, turn and cook another minute.
5. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Repeat process with pear slices. Set aside.
6. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Repeat process with pear slices. Set aside.
7. Mix fig preserves with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon water. Whisk until combined and set aside.
8. Sprinkle work surface with a little cornmeal or flour; work dough with hands, allowing it to stretch and pull organically to form an approximate 12” to 14” round. If your dough wants to constrict after each pull/stretch, let it sit a bit and then repeat process until you are able to form a round approximately ¼” thick.
9. Remove heated stone from oven, sprinkle with a little flour or cornmeal and place dough round atop stone; lightly brush top of dough with olive oil.
10. Place on lower rack in oven and bake for approximately 4 minutes; then rotate stone 90 degrees. Bake another 4 minutes, then flip pizza to other side and lightly brush that side with olive oil. Continue to bake another 3 to 5 minutes. (Cooking time is approximate; look for slight golden appearance, and ultimate crispy texture. Since most of toppings, with the exception of the cheeses are already cooked through, the finish time with this pizza is minimal, simply to allow for the cheese to melt and brown just a bit.)
11. Remove from oven to top.
12. First, lightly spread fig mixture atop crust; then sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Arrange slices of sautéed fruit atop cheese; then arrange sautéed red onion atop fruit.
13. Place on upper rack in oven to bake for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove and dot with Cambozola cheese; return to upper rack and bake for another 1 to 2 minutes, until cheese has melted and pizza is lightly golden.
14. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with crispy prosciutto and let sit until comfortable to handle. Serve topped with a generous tangle of fresh arugula.

Nutritional Information

Per Serving

• Calories: 277
• Fat Content: 10.8
• Protein Content: 8.3
• Carbohydrate Content: 37.7
• Fiber Content: 2.8
• Sugar Content: 8.3