Dinner Recipes

Gorgonzola & Grape Pizza Recipe

Bread, cheese, fruit — this pizza has everything we need! In the test kitchen, we handled the dough gently and minimally (rather than rolling it), creating a thick crust with a focaccia-like vibe. It’s the perfect vehicle for the lush toppings. The grapes are coated in a syrupy red-wine reduction, tossed with fontina and a mild gorgonzola cheese, and scattered across the crust. And then, just to gild the lily, we sprinkle the whole thing with Parm, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes.

Talk about a harmonious bite: The sweet grapes, the salty cheeses, a little blue funk, a pop of red pepper heat, and then the dense, wonderfully chewy bread. It’s pizza magic, and we’ll be making it for the rest of winter and way into spring and summer. It’s perfect for a casual dinner with family or date night with the S.O. — the kind with wine and lots of good stories.

Our tip: Pair this pizza with a light red wine with plenty of fruit, like a Beaujolais Gamay. We’d go with Georges Dubeuf Beaujolais-villages, and we’d serve it lightly chilled. Hello, August!

Servings: 4 to 6

Ingredients

1 recipe Neapolitan-style pizza dough

Bread flour, for dusting

⅓ cup sweet red wine

1 Tbsp granulated sugar

1 ½ cups red seedless grapes, halved lengthwise

5 oz Italian Fontina, rind discarded and cheese cut into ¼” dice

2 oz mild Gorgonzola, crumbled

½ tsp coarsely ground black pepper

Red pepper flakes, Parmesan, and Italian seasoning (optional toppings)


Special Equipment: pizza stone, pizza peel and parchment paper

Directions

  1. Prepare pizza dough according to instructions. For this recipe, you’ll want to use all the dough for one pizza.

  2. At least 45 minutes before baking the pizza, put the pizza stone on the oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 500°.

  3. Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Use your palms to press the dough into an 8” round. Using your fingertips, press the dough outward, dimpling the dough and stopping about 1” from the edge — this thicker edge will become your crust.

  4. Pick up the dough and stretch it over the backs of your hands, moving it in a circle to create a larger round. Continue dimpling and stretching the dough until you have a 14” round with a 1” crust.

  5. Transfer the dough to a parchment paper-lined pizza peel.

  6. In a small heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the red wine and sugar to a rapid simmer over moderate heat, uncovered, and reduce it to about 1 tablespoon, about 7 minutes.

  7. Add the grapes to the saucepan, stir gently to coat them with the syrup, and then transfer them to a bowl.

  8. Add the cheeses and black pepper to the bowl and stir to combine.

  9. Arrange the grapes and cheese on the pizza dough, leaving a 1-inch border.

  10. Slide the pizza and parchment paper onto the pizza stone, and bake it until the dough is crisp and browned and the cheese is golden and bubbling in spots, 14 to 16 minutes.

  11. Using the pizza peel, transfer the pizza to a cutting board. Cool it for 5 minutes and remove the parchment before slicing.


Recipe adapted from: Epicurious