Grilled Pizza With Figs, Balsamic Onions, and Gorgonzola

Prep Time: 20 MIN  |  Cook Time: 20 MIN  |  Servings: 4  |  Difficulty: Easy

Who doesn’t love good homemade pizza – but making dough from scratch can be a test in patience. One of the best inventions to hit mainstream grocery stores is a ball of fresh pizza dough, usually found in the refrigerated section. Lately, I’ve tried to have these on hand for pizza emergencies. This makes it possible to have homemade pizza on the table in 30 minutes flat.

In this recipe, thin pizza crust is grilled for extra flavor – either on a grill, such as a Delta Heat Grill or on a grill pan on the stove. It’s surprisingly easy and quick! Once both sides are grilled, the crust is topped with gorgonzola and mozzarella, fresh figs, caramelized balsamic onions, and placed into a hot oven, or back on the grill (on a pan) to finish.

The end of summer brings figs to our neck of the woods. They are incredibly beautiful – their color, their shape, their surprising tenderness with skin as soft as lips. When we can get them, we serve them at weddings on our cheese and charcuterie boards, simply drizzled with honey, a sensuous little offering.

During the spring months, sautéed mushrooms would make a good substitution for the figs. This Grilled Pizza with fresh figs, balsamic onions, and gorgonzola cheese, topped with fresh arugula, is one of my favorite combinations. The figs benefit from the sweetness of the balsamic onions and the saltiness of the cheese. When it comes out of the oven, deliciously melty and warm, place it on a wood board, sprinkle with arugula, and cut and serve!

Ingredients

• 1 red onion, very thinly sliced into rings
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• Pinch of pepper
• 1 teaspoon sugar or honey
• 16 oz pizza dough, divided into 2 balls (or divide into 4)
• 1 garlic clove, smashed
• 1 cup grated mozzarella
• 1 cup crumbled gorgonzola — or try cambazola, even better!
• 8 figs, quartered
• Handful of arugula

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F or set grill to high heat.
2. Let dough rest on a floured surface for 20 minutes.
3. In a large skillet, sauté onion in oil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently for 3 minutes. Lower heat to medium, add a pinch of salt. Continue sautéing 10 minutes until onions begin to caramelize and soften. Add balsamic, sugar, and pepper. Cook 3–4 more minutes until balsamic reduces. Set aside.
4. Divide dough and stretch into 2 or 4 very thin ovals or rounds.
5. If grilling, place directly onto the hot grate and grill 2–3 minutes until grill marks develop. Flip and grill the other side. Set aside and repeat, or grill multiple at once if space allows.
6. Rub each crust with smashed garlic, divide and sprinkle the cheeses, top with figs and onions, then either place in a hot oven to finish or return to the grill on top of a sheet pan.
7. Alternatively, bake the pizza in the oven on a sheet pan or hot pizza stone, topping the raw dough with cheeses and figs. Bake until cooked through, about 9–11 minutes — the thinner the crust, the faster it cooks.
8. Remove from oven, place on a wood board, sprinkle with arugula, cut, and serve immediately.

– Source: Feasting at Home