Friday night is Pizza Night, so Friday dinner is something I look forward to pretty much all week long. I’m giving this recipe to you on a Monday, though, just in case you eat pizza on a night other than Friday.
I don’t think I tried a fresh fig until a few years ago, but they are amazing. Much more delicate than dried figs, I love eating them plain or dressed up on a pizza. When they combine with the melted blue cheese in this recipe, a whole new flavor arises that I’m sure a better food writer could describe, but all I can say is “wow.” Shocking this blog has never led to a book deal, I know.
Whether you include the arugula on top of the pizza is up to you. Mike liked it much better without salad on top, but I thought it was missing something without it. Give it a try both ways and see what works for you. I also think these flavors would be perfect as a panini, so once I get my hands on more fresh figs (they don’t last long in this house!) I will try that as well.
Recipe:
makes 2 8-10″ pizzas
1 recipe pizza dough (or enough to make 2 8-10″ pizzas)
cornmeal
6 ounces blue cheese
about 24 figs, sliced lengthwise
6 cups (about 3 oz) arugula
black pepper
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Preheat the oven (with a pizza stone inside) to 500 F. Generously dust a cookie sheet with cornmeal. Shape half the dough into an 8-10″ round and place on the cookie sheet. When you shake the pan, it shouldn’t stick – if it does, sprinkle a little more cornmeal under the crust.
Crumble half the blue cheese evenly over the crust, then top with fig slices. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the crust is golden. While the pizza is baking, toss the arugula with some freshly ground black pepper, olive oil, and balsamic. As soon as the pizza comes out, top with half the dressed arugula, then let sit for a few minutes before cutting into slices. Repeat with remaining dough and ingredients.
1 recipe pizza dough
6 oz blue cheese
24 figs
3 oz arugula (6 cups)
2 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tbsp balsamic
black pepper
That looks amazing! I’ve never had a fig before, but just this weekend I found a local producer of goat cheese who had a fig variety – it was delicious!
That combination sounds fantastic! I haven’t tried fresh figs but have been wanting too.
you know, i think you are a nice person and then you have to go and use the words bleu cheese. bad cate. bad.
since we have that fig tree in the front yard, we may decide to make fig pizza too (without the sacre bleu cheese). how about fig, proscuitto, and goat cheese? om nom nom? we’ll report in after we try it.
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