Fontina is a creamy Italian cow's milk cheese with a texture that varies depending on the age. Typically young fontina is soft and extremely good for melting, while mature fontina is hard. Originally native to Italy's Aosta Valley, fontina is now produced in Denmark, France, and the United States. However, Italian fontina has a stronger, richer, more pungent flavor than those created in other areas. Fontina has a pale-yellow color and mild, nutty flavor that's wonderful for almost any use, whether it's eating out of hand or smashed in a sandwich. To find out how fontina made these grilled pizza bites incredibly delectable, read more.
This recipe takes advantage of fontina's wonderful melting qualities. It combines the gooey cheese with other Italian ingredients — prosciutto, pecorino romano, and basil — to make a pie that is wildly delicious and insanely addictive. I sliced the pizza into small pieces and served it as an appetizer at a recent party. It was so good, I hope to make it again soon.
From Food & Wine
When I made this pizza, I charred both sides of the dough on the grill until it was cooked and slightly puffy. Then I topped it with the garlic and cheese and finished cooking it in a 450°F oven.
Ingredients
1/2 pound fontina cheese, shredded (about 2 cups loosely packed)
1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese (about 1 1/2 ounces)
1 1/2 pounds store bought or homemade pizza dough
Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing and drizzling
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Two 14-ounce cans chopped Italian tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup basil leaves, cut into thin ribbons
12 paper-thin slices prosciutto di Parma, torn into large pieces
Directions
- Light a grill, preferably using hardwood charcoal. Set the grill grate 3 to 4 inches above the coals.
- In a medium bowl, toss the Fontina with the Pecorino Romano cheese.
- Divide the Pizza Dough into 6 equal pieces; work with 1 piece at a time and keep the rest covered with a towel.
- On 3 lightly oiled baking sheets, flatten and stretch the dough with your hands to form six 8-inch rounds about 1/16 inch thick; do not make a lip and don't stretch the dough so thinly that it tears. Brush the rounds with olive oil.
- When the grill is hot, working in batches if necessary, gently drape the pizza dough over the hot grate and cook until it puffs slightly, the underside firms up and grill marks appear, about 1 minute. Rotate the dough once and cook for 30 seconds.
- Brush the top of the pizza rounds with oil and flip them over using tongs.
- Scatter one-sixth of the garlic and cheese over each pizza, followed by 3 heaping tablespoons of chopped tomatoes. Then drizzle each pizza with 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Slide the pizzas near the hot coals but not directly over them. Using tongs, rotate the pizzas frequently, checking often to make sure that the undersides are not charring. The pizzas are done when the cheese is melted and the tomatoes are hot, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Scatter one-sixth of the basil and prosciutto over each pizza and serve hot off the grill.
Serves 12.
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Take-Two
JC de CASTELBAJAC
Vanessa Bruno
MMMM MMMM MMMM! That looks so delicious!
1I love a light/gourmet pizza like this... thanks for sharing
2Deliousioso! :yum:
3Mmmmm I've always made fontina and prosciutto pizza, but this is such a GREAT new twist....I cant wait to try it this weekend!
4That looks amazing.
5This made my really hungry. I've never used prosciutto when I make pizza but this made me want to try.. *yum*
6Hey all - my mom's a chef and uses this pizza dough recipe for all of her pizzas - it's so simple and yummy!
Makes 4 9" pizzas
1 packet active dry yeast
½ C water, lukewarm, 105 degrees
4 T good olive oil
1 C water, cold
3 1/3 C unbleached, all purpose flour plus flour for kneading
2 tsp Kosher Salt
In a large mixing bowl, stir the yeast into the lukewarm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 min. Stir in the olive oil and the cold water, then whisk in ½ C of flour and the salt stirring until smooth. Stir in the remaining flour, ½ C at a time, until the dough comes together in a rough mass.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until smooth and velvety, 8-10 min. It should be soft, but not sticky. Keep adding flour in small handfuls while kneading if needed to keep it from becoming sticky. Place the dough in a lightly floured bowl and cover loosely with kitchen towel. Let rest for 15 min.
Divide the dough into 4 equal portions, knead briefly, then roll each portion into a smooth, tight round ball.
To use immediately: Sprinkle a little flour on the work surface and set the balls on it. Cover them with a kitchen towel and let rise for 1 hour, then stretch and top the dough as you please.
For short term storage (48 hours): place the dough balls on a small baking pan lined with a lightly flour dusted kitchen towel. Sprinkle the dough balls with more flour, cover them with a second towel and refrigerate. Remove the dough from the fridge and let stand at room temp for 10-15 min. before forming the pizza.
For longer storage (up to 1 month): Slip each flour-dusted balls into a plastic freezer bag, seal tightly and freeze. Before use, place the frozen dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap & let thaw overnight in fridge or for about 2 hours at room temp. The thawed dough should be puffy and soft to the touch.
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