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a diamond sliced Pear and Blue Cheese Pizza on a sheet of parchment paper

Pear and Blue Cheese Pizza

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review
  • Author: Whip & Wander
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 1 large pizza 1x
  • Category: Pizza, Mains
  • Method: Oven, Stove
  • Cuisine: American

Description

This Pear and Blue Cheese Pizza with honey balsamic reduction is the perfect way to enjoy pear season this fall and winter!


Ingredients

Scale

For the cheese sauce base:

  • 1 tbsp garlic infused olive oil (may sub for 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil + 2 minced garlic cloves)
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup whole milk
  • 2/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1/8 tsp cracked black pepper
  • 1 pinch ground nutmeg

For the pizza:

  • 1/2 recipe Easy Same Day Pizza Dough
  • 1 medium pear (Bartlett, Bosc, Anjou, or any variety you prefer), cored and sliced thinly
  • 1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled

For the honey balsamic reduction:

  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 500 degrees F / 260 degrees C and set a bakers half sheet to the side.

For the cheese sauce base:

  1. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat melt the garlic-infused olive oil (or olive oil + minced garlic) with the butter.
  2. When the butter has fully melted, add the flour and whisk to combine fully.
  3. Once the mixture has started to simmer and become frothy, add the milk slowly, whisking to combine. The mixture will look chunky at first, but will smooth as you whisk.
  4. Once the milk is combined, add the parmesan cheese and continue to whisk until combined fully.
  5. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. The sauce should have thickened considerably at this point and be fairly smooth. If your sauce is too thick, add additional milk 1 tbsp at a time, whisking to combine. Remove from heat and reserve to the side until ready to assemble the pizza.

Assembling the pizza:

  1. Shape your dough. If you prefer a classic pie-shape with a thicker crust compared to the center of your dough, I suggest hand-stretching your dough. If you prefer your pizza to be an even thickness, I suggest rolling your dough out with a rolling pin.
    • If you are hand-stretching your pizza dough:
      1. I like to rub a small amount of olive oil into my hands first; this allows me to shape the dough easier without it ripping accidentally from friction.
      2. Press the dough down with the palm of your hand into a disk shape, then use your fingertips to gently press down on the dough disk, further flattening it.
      3. To further extend the dough, I prefer to press one palm on top of one side of the dough and with the other hand lift the alternative side of the dough and gently work the dough outward, pulling very gently with the tips of my oiled fingers (like a very discrete “come hither” motion) to slowly stretch the dough out. Rotate slightly and repeat until the dough is shaped and stretched to your liking. If you find that the dough starts to snap back or is beginning to tear, allow the dough to relax for a minute or two before proceeding again. Transfer your stretched dough to a sheet of parchment paper.
    • If you are using a rolling pin:
      1. I prefer to place my dough between two sheets of parchment paper to avoid the dough sticking to my rolling pin, but if you prefer you can also sprinkle a bit of flour over the dough ball as well as wiping some over your rolling pin by hand to prevent sticking instead. Once the dough has been rolled to your preferred size and shape, peel the top layer of parchment paper off (if using). The bottom layer that the dough is resting on can be utilized for your baking sheet. If you find that the dough starts to snap back or is beginning to tear, allow the dough to relax for a minute or two before proceeding again.
  2. Transfer your shaped dough to the reserved baking sheet.
  3. Top with reserved cheese sauce, using the back of a spoon spread the sauce out evenly over the dough.
  4. Top the pizza with slices of pear as desired, then sprinkle the blue cheese crumbles over the top.
  5. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until the crust has reached your preferred level of crispness and the cheese is starting to brown.

For the honey balsamic reduction:

  1. Once the pizza has gone in the oven, I like to start my honey balsamic reduction. I usually rinse out the small pan I made the cheese sauce base in, but you are welcome to use a new pot if you prefer. Add the honey and balsamic vinegar to the pan over medium-low heat, stirring to combine. It should quickly reach a low and steady simmer but not a heavy boil. Allow it to maintain a steady simmer for around 5 minutes and begin to reduce. If it starts to boil rapidly, reduce the heat. Once the combined mixture coats the back of a spoon remove from heat until ready to use.
  2. Once the pizza is fully baked, drizzle the honey balsamic reduction over the top.

Notes

Nutritional information on Whip & Wander is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/4th of the pizza
  • Calories: 563
  • Sugar: 10 g
  • Sodium: 846 mg
  • Fat: 23 g
  • Saturated Fat: 10 g
  • Carbohydrates: 68 g
  • Fiber: 1 g
  • Protein: 21 g
  • Cholesterol: 44 mg