Grilled Fig And Goat Cheese Pizzas
This is a dynamite starter to any meal when figs are in season. The great thing is that this crust can be used with any topping combination you dream up!
Ingredients
- One 1/4-ounce packet active dry yeast
- 3/4 cup warm water (about 110°F)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil, plus more for the grill
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 8 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature
- 5 tablespoons honey Cornmeal, for sprinkling on the pizza peel
- 1 pound ripe fresh figs, rinsed and patted dry, stems removed, sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 8 fresh mint leaves, torn into pieces
- 1 tablespoon Armagnac or brandy
Directions
To make the dough, combine the yeast, water, and 1 tablespoon of the flour in a medium bowl, and whisk to blend. Let the mixture stand until it is slightly foamy, about 5 minutes.
Combine the remaining flour and the salt in a large bowl, and stir to blend. Add the yeast mixture, the 2 tablespoons oil, and the cream. Stir well with a heavy wooden spoon until the dough begins to come together and pull away from the sides of the bowl. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 4 to 5 minutes into a smooth, but slightly sticky, dough. Oil a clean bowl with 1 teaspoon of the remaining vegetable oil and place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat it. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel, and allow the dough to rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 40 minutes.
Lightly grease a baking sheet with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil. Divide the dough in half, and form each piece into a ball. Place them on the prepared baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.
Preheat a grill to medium. Clean the grill very well with a brush, and lightly grease the grate with vegetable oil.
Combine the goat cheese and 3 tablespoons of the honey in a bowl, and mash with a fork until smooth.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll each ball with a rolling pin on a floured surface into a 10-inch round. Transfer one of the rounds to a pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal. With a quick flick of the wrist, slide the pizza dough onto the grill and cook on one side, rotating it with a spatula to mark it evenly, until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the dough from the grill and place it, grilled side up, on a large cutting board. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Spread half of the goat cheese mixture across each crust, using a rubber spatula. Arrange half of the sliced figs across the top of each crust.
Transfer the pizzas to the grill, cover, and cook until golden brown, rotating them with a spatula to keep them from burning, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the pizzas to serving plates, and sprinkle them with the black pepper and the mint leaves. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons honey with the Armagnac. Drizzle each pizza with half of the honey-Armagnac mixture, and serve immediately.
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