Gourmet Pizza Night- The Jimmy Pie

Well, hello there blogosphere! Long time, no post. Again, my apologies. The good news is that our oven is back in commission earlier than expected. Thank goodness for warranties!!!

Last night, we had some fine folks over and I made pizza.

Here were the ingredients I used:



1 package Trader Joe's (TJ's) regular pizza dough
1 package TJ's quattro-formaggio cheese
4 cloves minced garlic
1 package proscuitto
1 log of chevre (goat cheese)
1 package asparagus
Fresh basil
Olive oil, S&P

I doubled this recipe, got a few more things for some bruschetta as well and walked out of TJ's for under $50.

Directions:
1) Let the pizza dough sit at room temperature for at least a half hour before you make the pizza. While it's resting, mince your garlic and chop your asparagus into 3/4 inch strips. Preheat the oven as high as it can go on the bake setting (set mine at 550 degrees F).
2) Cut the dough in half and stretch it into your pizza pan (this one from Bed Bath & Beyond works well and is around $10). You want it to be thin, but without holes. You may want to buy extra dough to practice this part until you get the hang of it.
3) Bake the dough for a few minutes to get it cooked enough to support the toppings. This will help give you a really nice crust.
4) Remove it from the oven and slide a spatula underneath it to loosen it from the pan.
5) Add olive oil and garlic to the crust, then top it with half the cheeses, asparagus and pieces of proscuitto. Add salt and pepper to the top to taste.
6) Place in the oven for five minutes and then when it's getting closer to done, slide it off of the pizza pan and directly onto the oven rack for some additional crisping. Bake until golden crusted and oozing with cheesy-deliciousness.
7) Use a pizza peel or a cutting board to pull it from the oven, top with freshly cut basil and dig in!

This recipe makes enough for two 14 inch pies.