Cooking Light's Apricot Prosciutto Pizza

Sounds intriguing, doesn't it???? I thought so. The husband is not sure about this one, but I think it is going to be yummy. I mean, really...let's break it down: tangy goat cheese, sweet/tart apricots, slightly bitter, yet peppery arugula, salty prosciutto and Parmigiano-Reggiano, all on a crisp thin crust...ummmm. The more I imagine it, the more I think it is going to be a taste sensation! The only way to find out is to try it. Wish us luck!

Cooking Light's Apricot Prosciutto Pizza
From: Julianna Grimes, Cooking Light magazine, MAY 2010

Ingredients:
1/2 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
1/2 teaspoon dry yeast
8 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
6 ounces bread flour (about 1 1/4 cups)
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 apricots, each pitted and cut into 8 wedges
2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled goat cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
1 cup arugula
1 ounce thinly sliced prosciutto
1 ounce shaved fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions:
Combine 1/2 cup warm water and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook attached; let stand 5 minutes or until bubbly. Add 4 teaspoons oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt to yeast mixture. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Sprinkle flour over yeast mixture; mix 2 minutes or until a soft dough forms. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray; cover surface of dough with plastic wrap lightly coated with cooking spray. ****Refrigerate 24 hours.****

Remove dough from refrigerator. Let stand, covered, 1 hour or until dough comes to room temperature. Punch dough down. Roll dough out to a thin 12-inch circle on a lightly floured baking sheet, without raised edges, sprinkled with cornmeal. Crimp edges to form a 1/2-inch border. Pierce dough several times with a fork. Cover dough loosely with plastic wrap.

Position an oven rack in the lowest setting. Place a pizza stone on lowest rack. Preheat oven to 550°. Preheat the pizza stone for 30 minutes before baking dough.

Combine 1 tablespoon oil, thyme, pepper, apricots, shallots, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; toss gently. Remove plastic wrap from dough; slide dough onto preheated pizza stone, using a spatula as a guide. Bake at 550° for 4 minutes. Top dough with goat cheese and apricot mixture. Bake an additional 5 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cut pizza into 10 slices; sprinkle with parsley and chives. Toss arugula with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil; arrange arugula over apricot mixture. Top with prosciutto and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Cut into 10 wedges.

Nutritional Information:
Yield:5 servings (serving size: 2 wedges)
Calories:307
Fat:14.3g (sat 4.8g,mono 6.9g,poly 1.2g)
Protein:12.1g
Carbohydrate:32.7g
Fiber:2g
Cholesterol:17mg
Iron:2.9mg
Sodium:459mg
Calcium:120mg

Jen's Notes:
I am not going to make this particular crust, since I did not read the directions thoroughly and I missed the part about refrigerating the dough for 24 hours before cooking. Oops. Instead, I am going to make my standard whole wheat crust and grill the dough until crisp. If I roll it thin, the texture should be very similar.

Here is my favorite dough recipe:

Quick Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

Also, here are the Cook's Notes from the website:

Look for apricots that are slightly underripe so they'll stand up to the heat, or you can substitute two medium peaches. We like the smooth texture and intense flavor of imported Parma prosciutto in this dish.

The Result:
I am so glad that we tried this pizza! This was fan-freakin'-tastic! It was delicious. Seriously, I would not change a thing. My crust on the grill turned out perfectly crisp, and I loved the little bit of char-grilled flavor. All the components balanced nicely, and it was such great combination of ingredients. Best of all, it was healthy. Two pieces (which is one serving) calculated out to only 307 calories. I felt like I totally indulged, but I was still a half pound lighter on the scale this morning. Now that is a pizza that I can totally recommend! The husband and boy loved it, too...which is saying a lot since the husband admitted he was very skeptical. This is definitely a keeper. Also, this recipe makes me want to experiment with other unusual pizza ideas, so be forewarned.