Pear and Gorgonzola Pizza

I've wanted to create this blog for a long time as I've already attempted a number of recipes I'd like to recall, but we'll just have to make due with starting from this point in time.

For dinner last night Amanda and I enjoyed a Pear and Gorgonzola Pizza, inspired by a pasta dish Amanda loved at Olive Garden a few months back. The key to the dish is the Balsamic Vinegar, which elevates the other ingredients to another level. Making pizza (with pre-made crust, anyway) also makes for an easy and quick night in the kitchen, with relatively little clean up. Additionally, most of the ingredients can be used in whatever quantity you'd like. Want extra shrimp? Just toss 'em on!

Pear and Gorgonzola Pizza

1 ready-made pizza crust
olive oil
alfredo sauce
gorgonzola cheese
1 bartlett pear
spring mix greens
raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, tail-off
red curry powder
old bay seasoning
honey
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1. Preheat the oven as per the pizza crust instructions.

2. Brush pizza crust with a thin layer of olive oil. Add a thin layer of alfredo sauce on top of that.

3. Cover pizza with gorgonzola cheese and spring mix greens. Cut pear into bite-size pieces and add to pizza.

4. Heat olive oil in a pan on medium heat. When hot, add shrimp. Season with red curry powder and old bay seasoning. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until shrimp are opaque and slightly orange. Transfer to a paper towel covered plate to drain excess oil. When cool enough to handle, add shrimp to pizza.

5. Drizzle pizza with honey. Then drizzle pizza with about 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar. It is important not to use a heavy hand with the balsamic.

6. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or by following the pizza crust baking instructions.

Served with garlic bread.

Much as she did when she had a similar dish at Olive Garden, Amanda really enjoyed this dinner. For me, it lacked enough savory punch to be one of my favorite dishes. I very often prefer savory flavors to sweet flavors, and the sweet elements (honey, pear, even the gorgonzola cheese and balsamic) are really the stars of this dish. The best element for me was the shrimp, which I prepared with a new seasoning combo that I will certainly use again. Perhaps with more shrimp this dish could have been a home run for me.

Given the multitude of options available when making pizza (you really can toss almost anything on top), this version certainly hit some high notes. I don't think I'd ever crave it, but it is a nice change of pace that is quite a bit more elegant than your run-of-the-mill pizza.