sweet and savory cheddar, apple, and caramelized onion pizza
Another week, another pie.
Especially with football season now upon us, pizza is a favorite of mine to make lately. Much like ice cream flavorings, the topping combinations are endless. You can pile on the meats or veggies, spread with marinara or pesto, or mix up, as this recipe does, the intricacies of the sweet and savory flavor play.
Of course, when I’m getting a kick out of a certain style of recipe, I tend to beat the shit out of it until ya’ll get sick of me. Don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll phase out of pizza eventually, but that day is not today, kids.
So, if you’re feeling like pizza while watching the Thursday night telecast or the slew of weekend specials, consider this Sweet and Savory Cheddar, Apple, and Caramelized Onion Pizza. On the same vein as last week’s brie and shallot fixture (caramelizing shit is my current shtick), we’re adding a bit of a fruity bouquet to a cheesy slab of carbs. May not be everyone’s thing, but it sure is mine.
Honestly, it’s those caramelized onions that get me going. I am a SUCKER for a garnish of these roasty, golden, beautiful tendrils. Oof.
Cara-MEL or CAR-mel?
It’s the first one. No argument.
However you pronounce it – you’re wrong if you go the second route – you’ll be enamored by the result of cooking down those sob-induced veggies into jammy, luscious, mellow-sweet goodness.
Before you start that, though, heat your oven to 500 degrees so it can get nice and sweltering in there.
Melt some butter in a skillet with a little oil, then toss in thinly-sliced onions. Cook for a bit in the fats, stirring every so often and making sure your heat doesn’t get so high that the onions begin to crisp and burn.
Then, in three turns, pour in some dry white wine and let each batch reduce into the onions. This is a bit of a “cheat” to caramelize the onions more quickly, and wine adds an underlayer of richness to the dish. So yes, this pizza is fancy.
By about 20-25 minutes, the onions should be deeply golden and soft.
Bringin’ In the Dough
As always, storebought or homemade doughs are equally great. Keep in mind you’ll need more prep time for the recipe if you make your dough from scratch.
Divide your pound of flesh (ahem, dough) in half. Roll and push and wiggle and finagle one ball of the dough into a 10-inch-ish circle. Poke with a fork, brush with some oil, and parbake for a few minutes to sturdy up the crust so it receives the toppings more gracefully.
Spread on some fig jam, half the onions, apple slices, and sharp cheddar and mozzarella cheeses. Bake until bubbly, golden, and irresistably gooey.
Repeat all that assemblage and bakeage with the second half of the dough.
I call for a honeycrisp apple in the recipe, but if you have better access for gala and fuji, those are my favorite alternatives.
Finally, I like a combo of sharp yellow and sharp white cheddar cheeses, along with the mozzarella. Strangely enough, the coloration does make the varieties taste slightly different to me. Ah, preservatives and fillers and shit. Gotta love em.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
She’s my pizza pie:
Olive Cheese Pizza with Feta Stuffed Crust
sweet and savory cheddar, apple, and caramelized onion pizza
Ingredients
- 1 lb pizza dough, homemade or store bought
- 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3/4 cup dry white wine
- 1/4 cup fig preserves
- 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup low-moisture mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 honeycrisp apple, sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Sprinkle a bit of cornmeal onto a large baking sheet.
- Melt the butter with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onions and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until the onions begin to turn golden. If the onions crisp up too quickly, lower the heat.
- Pour in one third of the wine and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring a few times. Add the another third of the wine and cook for another 5 minutes. Finish with the final amount of wine and heat until reduced. By now, the onions should be a deep golden hue.
- Divide the pizza dough in half. Roll, push, and press one half of the pizza dough into about a 10 inch circle. Prick all over with a fork and brush with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Bake for 6 minutes until lightly golden and puffy.
- Spread on half of the fig jam onto the parbaked dough, then half of the onions. Arrange half of the apple slices overtop. Finish with half of each cheese. Bake an additional 8-10 minutes until the cheese is gooey and browned in spots. Repeat with the second half of the pizza dough.
- Slice and serve warm with fresh herbs.
