This recipe was inspired by a conversation with our friend Alexa. She saw something like it on Sprouted Kitchen, improvised with what she had in the fridge and voila, dinner. Her description sounded so good and I had almost all of the ingredients already, so I too improvised and mine also turned out delicious.
The flexibility of pizza as a medium really is awe-inspiring. The fact you can make a decent pizza with just about whatever configuration of cheese and veggie you happen to have on hand—magic. This fact also makes bad pizza even sadder if you stop to think about it.
We’ve made this pizza a few time since Alexa first told us about it and finally wrote up the recipe. You’ll probably want to make it this weekend—the end of summer (and corn season – even in sunny CA) is nigh.
Pizza with Goat Cheese, Corn, Poblanos and Cilantro
1 ball of pizza dough, divided in two and at room temperature for ease of shaping
1/4 cup sour cream, creme fraiche or mexican crema (whatever you’ve got around will work)
1 poblano pepper, charred and diced
1 ear of corn, cut off the cob
1/4 red onion, sliced thinly (or yellow onion, or shallot)
1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled
1 – 2 limes, depending on how juicy they are
a small handful of cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
Under the broiler, over a gas flame or on the grill, char the poblano. Let it cool and then cut it into small pieces, discarding the seeds. Cut the corn kernels off the ear. Slice a small onion thinly.
Preheat your oven to 500°. Move an oven rack with pizza stone—if you’ve got one—to very top of your oven. Roll out the pizza dough as thin as you can get it. If you let the dough sit out for an hour or two at room temperature before shaping it, it will be easier to get the crust thinner. Once it is rolled out, dust your pizza peel or baking sheet with corn meal or flour. Place the dough on the pizza peel or on baking sheet. Time to top!
Coat the dough with a thin layer of sour cream. Sprinkle on the poblanos, corn, onion and goat cheese. Brush some olive oil onto the parts of the crust that aren’t covered in sauce or toppings. Slide it onto your pizza stone or cook on the baking sheet for 15 – 20 minutes, until the crust is browned. Meanwhile, mix together the lime juice, olive oil, and cilantro. We used our magic bullet, but you could also just chop the cilantro and mix in a bowl. When the pizza comes out of the oven, drizzle on the cilantro-lime dressing and serve.
Speaking of perfect pizza, I wish we had a backyard of sorts so we can get this rad, tiny, wood-fired pizza oven and turn out even more delicious (wood fired!) pizzas in less than 5 minutes a pop. I would have homemade pizza at least once a week if I was the proud owner of one of those cuties.
-Emily
