Nectarine + Goat Cheese Pizza Salad
Yesterday was a great day. I spent the afternoon eating tabbouleh and hummus and loads of the most delicious halva from Seed + Mill with Lily, Matt, and Beau at Lily's house of perfect lighting! Seriously guys, her window game is strong and I'm still dreaming about that halva. And speaking of light and windows, I've officially cooked my first meal in our new house!! You're looking at it--and part of our kitchen (scroll down to get a little peek)! I'm pretty excited about it, as if you couldn't tell with my overly enthusiastic use of exclamations, which, if we're being honest, happens often. But it was a big deal and it was so much fun and also a little crazy. A little crazy because half of the kitchen you don't see, is still covered in the dry goods, kitchen gadgets, and pots and pans galore that occupy all available surfaces since they haven't yet found their forever home. I felt like I was in a video game or possibly Leo's character in The Beach, dodging all the potential landmines of kitchen goods.
I'm not sure if I'm the only one who feels this way, and please chime in if you're in agreement, but pizza is one of those foods that feels right when your life is in a state of chaos. It could be due to late night studying, crazy deadlines at work, or just crazy messy kitchens. Whatever the cause of the chaos may be, pizza always seems to make things right. Which is why it was so fitting that the first meal made in our kitchen was this pizza. And it's not an ordinary pizza either because it's covered in mixed greens, making it a very healthy pie (right?! please just tell me I'm right here). I wanted to make something fresh, filling, in season, and easy, and this pizza checks all those boxes.
Best part is the easy part... I made the pizza dough in my Vitamix dry grains container. Right before we made the move, Vitamix was kind enough to send me over a blender and their dry grains container to test out and it took everything I had to not bust open the box and give it a whirl, even though the goal at the time was to put everything into boxes, not take them out. So I waited, and I truly felt like a kid on Christmas unboxing the machine for the first time the other day. And no surprise here, but I was elated to find the machine was just as amazing as I had imagined and hoped. Well worth the wait. I mean, pizza in a blender? Yassss.
INGREDIENTS
PIZZA DOUGH
1 c. warm water, 105°F-115°F
1 tsp. granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
1 1/2 c. unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 c. "00" flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. whole grain cornmeal, for sprinkling on pizza pan
TOPPINGS
1 large sweet onion (or yellow), thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 ripe nectarines, sliced and divided
5 oz. chèvre goat cheese (I love this one), divided
3 - 4 thin slices of prosciutto, torn into bite sized pieces
3 - 4 handfuls mixed greens
Handful of toasted sliced almonds
1 - 2 Tbsp. aged balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
TOOLS
Vitamix
Dry Grains Container
Silicone spatula
Pizza stone
Pizza peel
Marble pastry board or other clean worksurface
Rolling pin
Heavy bottomed pan
Wooden spoon
Pastry brush
FIX
PIZZA DOUGH
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Combine the yeast with warm water and sugar in a small bowl. Stir slowly to combine. Set aside to proof for 5 minutes.
Pour the flours and salt into the Vitamix Dry Grains Container in the order listed and secure the lid.
Select Variable 1 and turn machine on, slowly increasing the speed to Variable 6. Process for about 5 seconds or until a hole forms in the center of the ingredients.
Turn off machine and remove the lid plug.
Select Variable 1 again and turn on machine, again slowly increasing the speed to Variable 6.
Add the yeast mixture and the 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil through the lid plug opening.
Stop machine and replace lid plug. Select High speed. Pulse four times then remove the lid.
Let the dough rest for a minute and lightly coat the pizza stone/pan with the cornmeal.
Using a wet silicone/nylon spatula, scrape down the sides of the container, pulling the dough away from the container sides and into the center of the mixture.
Replace lid and select High speed. Pulse five times, adding an additional tablespoon of water if the dough looks really dry.
Repeat this process four times, scraping down the sides of the container each time, until the dough binds together into a soft, elastic mixture.
Pulse 5 more times then slowly invert the container over a clean work surface, lightly dusted with flour. Knead a couple times to get the dough ball smooth.
Cover the dough with a clean, dry kitchen towel or inverted bowl and let rest 15 minutes.
With the heel of your hand, gently deflate the dough, being sure to keep it round. Roll out with a lightly floured rolling pin, starting from the center and rolling outward, until the dough is about 1-inch larger than the pan/stone you're using.
Using a pizza peel, slide the dough off your surface, flouring if necessary to be sure the dough can slide around easily on the peel.
Transfer to your pan and push up a collar around the edges with the 1-inch overhang.
TOPPINGS AND ASSEMBLY
Before making the dough, start by caramelizing your onions. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium high heat in a heavy bottomed pan until the oil is shimmering. Add the onion slices and stir with a wooden spoon to coat the onions in oil. Spread the onions out evenly over the pan and let cook for 10 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and cover the pan, turning down the heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.
If desired, lightly grill the nectarine slices. You can brush the nectarines lightly with olive oil to avoid sticking to the grill.
When pizza dough has been rolled out and transferred to the pan, drizzle around 1 tablespoon of olive oil on the pizza, brushing to evenly distribute oil.
Top with caramelized onions, half of the nectarines, half of the goat cheese, and all of the prosciutto.
Bake on the bottom rack of the oven (preheated to 425°F) for 15 to 18 minutes or until bottom crust is lightly browned and golden.
Remove pizza pan from oven, let stand 5 minutes and then top with mixed greens, remaining nectarines and goat cheese, almonds, and drizzle with balsamic. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Slice, serve, and enjoy!
A huge thanks to Vitamix for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own, and I'm bowled over by how cool their dry good container is. Already looking forward to making some cinnamon roll dough in the next round. And because they're awesome, Vitamix and Williams-Sonoma are offering an extra container for $50 with the purchase of a new full size Vitamix (so now might be a good time to snag that Vitamix you've been eyeing and pick up a new dry grains container too, cause the offer ends 7/31).