Pear Gorgonzola Pizza With Arugula

Are you salivating with a title like that? You certainly should be! And don't let all those fancy words fool you — this pear gorgonzola pizza with arugula is what we would call an "artisan" pizza for even the finickiest of eaters. Matt is a straight-laced, meat and potatoes kind of guy when it comes to his food, and even he liked it. "This actually tastes a lot better than it sounds," were his exact words. Straight from the horses mouth you have it, which means you should make this for your Friday night pizza date.

Ingredients:

-Trader Joe's pizza dough (or this gluten-free dough)
-1/4 cup flour
-1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
-2 tablespoons crumbled gorgonzola cheese
-1 pear, thinly sliced and halved
-1/4 cup olive oil
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1 handful of arugula

First things first, preheat your oven to 450 °F. Next, lightly flour the flat surface you will be working on and let the dough warm up for about 20 minutes by forming it into a large ball. Once it is ready, use a rolling pin to flatten it out. The dough will pull back into its smaller shape, so put on your best Italian accent and "tosseh the pizzeh piieee!" It may seem like a task reserved for cartoons, but it is the key to getting your pizza crust round (aim for around a 10" pie) and the perfect thickness.

Combine your diced garlic and olive oil. Stir it and let it settle for about 3-5 minutes. With a glazing brush or spoon, paint a light layer of olive oil all over the crust. Next, top it with your mozzarella. The sliced pears come next, and the final step is sprinkling the gorgonzola cheese and arugula liberally and evenly onto the pizza pie.

(My sous chef keeping me company and providing a steady stream of moral support. There's also a dishwasher boy running around behind the scenes, vigorously splashing and making sure all of the dishes are extra clean and sparkling.)

Place your pizza onto a pizza pan, and bake on 450 °F for 15-18 minutes. You will know it is done when the cheese starts to lightly brown and bubble, and the bottom of the pizza is firm and browned. Remove and let it cool for a few minutes, then start dishing up those slices with a side of watermelon or some juicy fruit. The delicious blend of flavors will make your tastebuds happy, because it doesn't get much better than pear gorgonzola pizza! Enjoy!