Brie Prosciutto Pizza with Asian Pear and Finch

Hello and Welcome to Pizza and a Movie on Djalali Cooks! Today’s pizza is for all the brie lovers out there. Brie goes so beautifully with fruit – especially fall fruits like: apples, pears and Asian Pears, persimmons and figs. Add some salty, cured meat and well, that’s a combination I can really get behind. Another combination I can get behind is Tom Hanks, a dog and a robot; Hanks’ new movie, Finch, on Apple TV+ is everything you expect from a Tom Hanks movie – it pulls all the heart strings. So, let’s get right to the Brie Prosciutto Pizza with Asian Pear!

Fried Sage Leaves

To give this pizza a little Fall flavor and flair, I have topped it with crispy, fried sage leaves. This is an easy thing to do and it only takes a little oil and about 30 seconds. Heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil over high heat until it’s shimmery. Then turn off the heat and drop in several whole sage leaves. Give them a stir and when the sizzling slows and the leaves turn dark green (about 20-30 seconds), transfer them with a spider skimmer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside until we’re ready to top the pizza.

Pizza Assembly

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. I have another pizza dough from Publix bakery. It’s pre-rolled. For any of you out there near a Publix, this dough is a good option when you don’t want to make your own, or buy the dough in a tube. Lightly oil a sheet pan with olive oil and stretch or lay your dough onto the pan. Drizzle some olive oil on the dough and use a brush to spread the oil to cover the dough.

Top the olive oil with a grated low-moisture mozzarella. I have cored and thinly sliced an Asian pear; you can use a pear or a red-skinned apple if you want to try something a little different. I like the texture and the lightly sweet flavor of the Asian pear. It will also release less moisture than a pear. Arrange the Asian pear slices on the pizza in a circular pattern so every slice will be covered with the fruit.

Prosciutto and Brie

I am going to do two layers each of prosciutto and brie. For the first layer of prosciutto, tear each slice of prosciutto roughly into two pieces and lay the slices outward from the center of the pizza. You can imagine each slice of pizza with its own strip of prosciutto. Let the slices fold a little to create texture. Use about 3/4 of the 8-ounce prosciutto package.

We will use half of a small wheel of brie. Slice the half wheel into long strips. Lay the long strips outward from the center – again imagining each slice of pizza will have its own strip of brie. Use about 3/4 of the brie half. Then top with remaining prosciutto; finally top that with the remaining brie.

We are ready for the oven! Bake the pizza for 15-20 minutes, until the brie is melted, the prosciutto begins to crisp up and the crust is golden. When it comes out of the oven, slide the pizza on a wire rack to keep the bottom crisp while it cools.

Brie Prosciutto Pizza with Asian Pear

Top the pizza with the fried sage leaves, slice and serve! This pizza is everything you imagine – gooey melty brie, salty prosciutto with the occasional crispy edge, the very light and mellow sweetness from the Asian pear…and the delicate crisp of the fried sage. A very rich, very satisfying pizza just perfect for a chilly fall Friday evening.

Movie Night: Finch

We have our Brie Prosciutto Pizza with Asian Pears ready, so let’s start the movie. Finch is about a man, Finch Weinberg (Hanks) who is surviving on his own with his dog, Goodyear, after the environment has basically been destroyed by radiation from holes in the ozone layer caused by a solar flare.

A robotics engineer and tinkerer, Finch builds a robot with AI to aid in their survival. When a storm threatens their safety, they set out in a modified RV, headed west to escape the storm and hopefully find a new home.

An adventure story, a buddy/road trip movie, Finch has heart, hope and humor. It’s a story about trust, companionship and what it means to live a life (human, canine and otherwise). I think Tom Hanks is at his best in this role, I am not sure anyone else could play it as well. Goodyear the dog is expertly played by the very cute, Seamus. The the AI robot is motion-captured and voiced by Caleb Landry Jones. Put Finch at the top of your list, it’s available to stream (with a subscription) on Apple TV+.

Thank you all so much for spending some of your day with me today for Pizza and a Movie. I really hope you give this Brie Prosciutto Pizza with Asian Pear a try. I think you’ll really like it! Give me a follow on Pinterest for all the Djalali Cooks recipes in one place. And be sure to catch up on the latest Thanksgiving sides and appetizers like Brussels Sprout Salad, Potato Galette, and Stuffing Biscuits. See you Sunday, take care and be well! xo Kelly

Print Recipe

Brie Prosciutto Pizza with Asian Pears

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Dinner, Main Course – American/Italian

By Kelly Djalali – Serves: 2-4

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

Creamy, melty brie complimented by crispy, salty prosciutto and slightly sweet Asian Pear, finished with fried sage leaves.

Ingredients

• 1 Prepared Pizza Dough
• Olive Oil
• 3/4 cup Low Moisture Mozzarella
• 1 Asian Pear, cored and thinly sliced into wedges
• 3.5-4 oz. Brie Cheese, sliced into thin strips
• 1 8-oz. Package Prosciutto
• 8-10 Fresh Sage Leaves

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

2

Heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil over high heat until it's shimmery. Then turn off the heat and drop in several whole sage leaves. Give them a stir and when the sizzling slows and the leaves turn dark green (about 20-30 seconds), transfer them with a spider skimmer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside until we're ready to top the pizza.

3

Lightly oil a sheet pan with olive oil and stretch or lay your dough onto the pan. Drizzle some olive oil on the dough and use a brush to spread the oil to cover the dough.

4

Top the olive oil with a grated low-moisture mozzarella.

5

Arrange the Asian pear slices on the pizza in a circular pattern so every slice will be covered with the fruit.

6

Tear each slice of prosciutto roughly into two pieces and lay the slices outward from the center of the pizza. You can imagine each slice of pizza with its own strip of prosciutto. Let the slices fold a little to create texture. Use about 3/4 of the 8-ounce prosciutto package.

7

Lay the long strips of brie outward from the center – again imagining each slice of pizza will have its own strip of brie. Use about 3/4 of the brie half.

8

Then top with remaining prosciutto; finally top that with the remaining brie.

9

Bake the pizza for 15-20 minutes, until the brie is melted, the prosciutto begins to crisp up and the crust is golden. When it comes out of the oven, slide the pizza on a wire rack to keep the bottom crisp while it cools.

10

Top the pizza with the fried sage leaves, slice and serve!