Recipe: Windsor Blue Cheese, Pear and Walnut Pizza
This pizza recipe is for the ultimate cheese lover.
Whitestone Cheese won the dairy crafted category of the Outstanding New Zealand Food Producer Awards for their Vintage Windsor Blue Cheese. “OMG words fail me,” said one of the judges after tasting the cheese, Another declared it her death-row meal of choice.
Makes 2 x 26cm pizzas
INGREDIENTS
Dough
3 teaspoons active dry yeast
pinch sugar
240g lukewarm water
400g flour (Italian 00 grade, if available)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
Topping
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, finely sliced
1 tablespoon (approx) olive oil
2 cups grated Whitestone Aged Airedale (semi-soft) cheese
2 ripe pears, cored and sliced
50g walnuts, toasted then roughly chopped
1 wedge (110g) Whitestone Windsor Blue cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary leaves
a few leaves of rocket
cracked pepper and rock salt to taste
METHOD
To make the dough:
Dissolve yeast and a pinch of sugar in the warm water and leave for a few minutes to give the yeast a head start.
Place flour and salt in a large bowl, make a well in the middle and pour in the yeast mixture and olive oil. Use your hands to make a dough, add a little more flour if needed, then transfer to a lightly floured bench and knead for about 8 minutes until smooth and elastic.
Form into a ball, place in an oiled bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about an hour.
Place pizza stones or oven trays in oven and preheat to 250°C
To make the topping:
Melt butter in pan over medium heat. Add onions, lower heat and cook until caramelised (about 10-15 minutes). Set aside. Divide dough into 2 balls. Flatten and stretch into pizza rounds and place on baking paper.
Brush with a little olive oil, spread evenly with cheese and onions; top with pears, walnuts, blue cheese and rosemary. Season with salt and pepper then slide on to pizza stones or trays and bake until cheese melts and crust browns, about 10 minutes
Remove from oven, cut, and top with rocket leaves to serve.
