Unique and Delicious Asian Pear Pizza from Gabriel Farm

Our favorite place to pick apples during late summer and fall is Gabriel Farm up near Sebastopol. In addition to apples, they also grow amazing organic Asian pears. You don't have to go all the way up to western Sonoma County to get them, though. They're available right here in Marin on Sundays from 8 am to 1 pm at the Marin County Civic Center farmer's market in San Rafael.

While Asian pears are downright delicious as a snack and a dessert, Torrey Olson, owner of Gabriel Farm, shared with us his recipe for Asian pear pizza. I know what you're thinking: pear pizza? But definitely give it a try—it's truly one of the most delicious pizzas we've every had! Even my notoriously picky five-year-old daughter declared it a hit. The base of thinly-sliced Asian pears makes for a moist (but not soggy) pizza with a subtle sweetness that's offset by the topping of pancetta and gorgonzola cheese. We've adapted the recipe to use the ready-to-bake pizza dough available at Trader Joe's, which is always a staple in our refrigerator.

Ingredients

• One package Trader Joe's refrigerated pizza dough (white or wheat; it's your choice)
• 2–3 medium sized Asian pears, cored and very thinly sliced (but not peeled)
• 1/8 pound of pancetta, diced, cooked until crisp, and drained on paper towels
• 2–3 ounces gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
• 4 ounces shredded mozarella cheese
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat your oven to 425º. Put your pizza stone in the oven while it preheats (if you have one). Roll out the dough as per the package instructions. (I usually pre-cook the dough for about 6 minutes so the middle doesn't get soggy, although it's not always necessary).

Cover the pizza dough with the Asian pear slices. Think of the fruit as the sauce on your pizza. When the dough is covered, it's time to put some stuff on top. Torrey suggested the combination of gorgonzola cheese and pancetta, which is really amazing.

Crumble the pancetta and gorgonzola cheese over the pizza—both ingredients are strongly flavored, so you really don't need that much, but feel free to use a little more than called for if you want to. Now sprinkle with shredded mozarella to hold everything together and put it in the oven and bake until the center is melted completely, about 12–15 minutes.

When it's done, remove from the oven, let sit for a few minutes, then slice and enjoy! Makes one medium-sized pizza, which in our house serves two adults and two little kids.

Thanks Torrey, for the fantastic recipe! If you visit the Gabriel Farm booth at the Civic Center farmer's market this weekend, make sure you tell them that you head about it on Marin Mommies.