The Cheeseboard Pizza and Midnight in Paris

Hi Everyone! Welcome to Pizza and a Movie. Today’s pizza had Alex skeptical, to be honest. But once he tried it, I think he was surprised by how good this combination is. He doesn’t really like fancy or “weird” toppings on his pizza. So I knew this one was a gamble. You can imagine my satisfaction with changing his mind on this one! On a cheeseboard, apples, blue cheese, herby toasted walnuts and prosciutto all happily mingle. So why not on a pizza? Let’s do this Cheeseboard Pizza!

The Prep

Take the dough out of the fridge and toast your nuts before you start. Chiffonade 10-15 fresh sage leaves. Half will go in the pan with the walnut pieces and the other half will go on the pizza. Melt a tablespoon of salted butter in a pan over medium-low heat, then add the walnut pieces and sage. Stir the mixture occasionally and remove from heat when nuts and sage begin to be fragrant. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Get the oven preheating to 450 degrees.

I used my mandoline slicer to get even, thin slices of apple. We will only need about half an apple. I chose a Gala apple for this recipe because it has a mellow sweetness and a good crunch. We have marinated mozzarella pearls, which we will cut or tear in half. And we have shredded mozzarella for the base. We will crumble some blue cheese and I have prosciutto slices which I tore in half or thirds to create more manageable pieces. I am going to brush a thin layer of the marinated mozz olive oil on the pie before I layer the shredded mozzarella, but you can use plain olive oil.

Since the sheet pan method we used for last week’s Mexican Pizza worked out so well, I am using that method for this pie too. This Cheeseboard Pizza is going to be on the wetter side, so I want a nice crust to hold in the liquid, keeping it from bubbling over and seeping under the pie. Lightly grease the sheet pan with some olive oil and have it set near your assembly station.

The Dough

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a rectangular shape, roughly 9″ x 13″. Lift the dough into the sheet pan and let the dough come up the sides of the pan.

Assembly

I prefer the prosciutto in bite size pieces. I find that flat, long slices tend to pull the toppings with it when you bite into the pizza. So I have torn each slice into 2-3 pieces and we will place them evenly on the pie, creating little folds as you place them to nestle in more mozz.

Nestle several more halved mozzarella pearls on and around the prosciutto. Sprinkle the remaining sage on top. Bake this pie on the bottom rack for about 10 minutes. Then move it to the middle rack for the remaining 5-8 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the mozzarella is browning.

As I mentioned earlier, this is a wet pie, so when it comes out, use a paper towel to blot some of the moisture on top. Use a spatula to lift out one side of the pie, and slide it out onto a cutting board. Carefully lift the pie to check the bottom for doneness, it should be golden brown.

Sprinkle toasted walnuts over whole pie.

Use a long chef knife, or a pizza blade to slice the pie into three even pieces on the short side, then slice those in half to make large squares.

This pie is one my favorite creations! I love recipes that combine sweet and salty flavors and this pie is a perfect example of this combination. Plus you have the pungent blue cheese and the crunchy toasted walnuts. Flavor-wise and texturally, this pie has it all!

Movie night: Midnight in Paris

Alright! Our pizza is ready so let’s get to that movie! If I could choose any era in history in which I would like to live, it would be the Jazz Age. I love the music, the dance styles, the art and fashion… The film Midnight in Paris, by Woody Allen is like a love letter to the Jazz Age. It’s a whimsical and romantic take on a time travel story, told in a clever and heartfelt way that only Woody Allen could do. If you love romantic comedies and haven’t seen this film, it’s a must-watch!

The film follows an aspiring novelist, Gil Pender (Owen Wilson). While vacationing with his fiancé (Rachel McAdams) in Paris, Gil encounters a group of familiar strangers while walking the streets of Paris late one night. They whisk him off to a different time altogether for a night with some of the Jazz Age’s most iconic figures of art and literature. As Gil spends more time with these Jazz Age cultural heroes, he becomes more and more disinterested with the present.

I hope you give this Cheeseboard Pizza a try! Have you seen Midnight in Paris? If not give it a go, and if so, it’s a great re-watch! Let me know what you think of this recipe and give me a follow on facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. Tell your friends and share the recipes!

Starting Sunday, Alex and I will be in Tybee Island. So the next couple weeks will be an adventure; cooking in a kitchen unknown to me. Without my own kitchen tools and starting with an empty pantry, it will be interesting! Have a great weekend, everyone, see you here for Sunday Supper! Take care and be well, xo Kelly

Print Recipe

The Cheeseboard Pizza

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Dinner, Main Course – American

By Kelly Djalali – Serves: 2-4

Prep Time: 20 minutes – Cooking Time: 15-18 Minutes – Total Time: ~30 Minutes

Two kinds of Mozzarella, Apples, Prosciutto, Blue Cheese and buttery Toasted Walnuts; altogether on a pizza.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Walnuts, broken into pieces
• 1 tbsp. Salted Butter
• 10-15 Fresh Sage Leaves, chiffonade cut and divided
• 1 Prepared Pizza Dough
• 1 tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1 cup Shredded Mozzarella
• 1/2 Gala Apple, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup Crumbled Blue Cheese
• 1 cup Mozzarella Pearls, halved and divided
• 1 package Prosciutto, torn into smaller pieces

Instructions

1

Melt the salted butter in a pan over medium-low heat.

2

Add the walnut pieces and half of the chiffonade sage.

3

Stir the mixture occasionally and remove from heat when nuts begin to be fragrant. Be careful not to let them brown.

4

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

5

Lightly grease a 9"x13" rimmed sheet pan and set aside.

6

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a rectangular shape, roughly 9" x 13". Lift the dough into the sheet pan and let the dough come up the sides of the pan.

7

Brush olive oil onto the pizza dough.

8

Top with shredded mozzarella; then apple slices; blue cheese crumbles, and half of the mozzarella pearls.

9

Place the prosciutto pieces evenly on the pie, creating little folds as you place them to nestle in more mozzarella.

10

Nestle remaining mozzarella pearls on, and in between the prosciutto folds.

11

Sprinkle on the remaining chiffonade sage.

12

Bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 10 minutes.

13

Move the pie to the middle oven rack for another 5-8 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the mozzarella is browning.

14

When done, blot the wet areas on top with a paper towel and slide the pie out of the sheet pan, sprinkle toasted walnut pieces over the pie and cut into squares with a long chef knife or pizza blade.