Monday, June 9, 2008

Caramelized Shallot and Blue Cheese Pizza

I found this recipe on the 1st Traveler's Choice Internet Cookbook. This was so good I can't even tell you how much I loved it.

Ingredients
2 medium onions
2 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 pizza thin crust
1/4 cup roasted garlic puree
4 ounces of blue cheese
2 Tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (drained if packed in oil)

Thinly slice onions and place in a heatproof dish. Dot with butter; add vinegar and brown sugar. Bake onions, covered with foil, for approximately 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Stir and continue cooking until brown and caramelized. Can be made 2 days ahead -- just cover and chill. When ready to use, bring to room temperature.

Spread garlic puree over unbaked crust. Cover with caramelized onions and bake at 450 degrees for about 13 minutes. Add crumbled blue cheese and sun-dried tomatoes, and cook until cheese has melted, about 3 minutes. Cut into slices and serve.




First thing to do is get your oven going at 350 degrees. Thinly slice up some shallots or onion.




Grab some real butter.




put some small cubes of butter on top of the onion in an oven proof dish.




you will want to add a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and a little bit of brown sugar.




It is ready to go into the oven, but wait, someone else is going in with it!




We are going to roast some garlic also. Roasted garlic is one of my most favorite things in the world. I can eat it like candy.




To make it, just cut off the top of the head.




grab a piece of aluminum foil and put the head in it and make a bowl out of the foil. pour some olive oil over the top of the head and then seal it up!




You will end up with a lovely little garlic tent. Put the onions and the garlic in the oven for about 45 minutes.




Your house is going to be smelling FABULOUS so its going to be a great test of will power as you wait to make your pizza. Finally when you get close roll out your dough, or grab one of these premade pizza crusts.




Pull your garlic out of the oven and admire the fragrance and remember you cannot actually marry it.




The onions looked pretty darn tasty as well. Once those are out, get the oven cranking up to 425 degrees.




Once the garlic is cool enough to handle, (I was so impatient I popped mine in the freezer to get this process moving) just squeeze all the cloves out of the head into a bowl.




You will want to puree the garlic using a mortar and pestle or the back of a spoon because licking the blade of your food processor is dangerous. Don't think I am kidding, I ate every last remaining drop of that roasted garlic.




Once you have it all smashed you can spread it on the pizza dough.




Layer on the onions and pop it in the oven for about 10 minutes.




Spread on the delicious blue cheese.




Get it back in the oven for just a few minutes to melt the cheese. You do not need much at all, there is already so much flavor on this pizza!




I cannot tell you how amazing this turned out. I wish you could even just smell it through the computer.




I hope you give this one a try and love it as much as I did.

11 comments:

  1. "and remember you cannot actually marry it.

    This cracked me up.

    I looooove carmelized ... anything.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am going to try this. I can make it just for myself since the kids won't eat it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Pizza is perfect food. Not sure about the blue cheese, but the rest sounds great.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh my word...my heart skipped a beat reading this recipe. I am SO gonna make this...and add bacon!!! The SO would totally eat this...Yay!!! A pizza we can share! That's a beautiful thing...


    Jen

    ReplyDelete
  5. OMG that is heaven...I am going to make that tonight, with a nice salad!! You didn't use the sun dried tomatoes huh? Doesn't sound like you really need it, but I'm with Jen, I might try bacon or maybe pancetta.

    Oh I can't wait to try this!!!

    Michele

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh yum oh yum. I have friends coming for dinner in a couple of weeks. Might do that as a starter.
    I made pizza last night. Not as delish looking as yours but still yum. It had tomato paste/olive oil base, proscuitto, greek feta, kalamata olives, mushrooms, red onion and lemon myrtle sprinkled on top. Hmmmm.

    Denise
    Noah Willow Tess Lucy

    ReplyDelete
  7. I can't wait to make this (already put it on the menu for next week). How many shallots did you use?

    ReplyDelete
  8. OK, I tried this and it rocked. I did use the tomatoes and it didn't really add anything. I also added some pancetta which was a very nice addition. LOVED IT!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I just made this. It was incredible. The sweet onions and tangy blue cheese worked perfectly together. Easy too! My sister stopped by and had a couple slices and said "This is the best thing you've ever made." She never says stuff like that.

    ReplyDelete
  10. That pizza looks amazing! I'm torn - do I make it and let the oven heat up the house (more!) or do I just drool on my computer?
    Third option? - Do you deliver?
    :-)

    ReplyDelete
  11. yummy. can't wait to try this one too. i may have to wait 10 lbs though. :)

    ReplyDelete