Caramelized Onion, Goat Cheese and Pancetta Pizza with Truffle Oil

For our Friday date-night-in, we decided to make pizza influenced by some pretty amazing slices we tasted recently at Mr. Max's work party. We sampled tasty combinations including bacon-bleu cheese, pepperoni-jalapeno, and my favorite, the caramelized onion with goat cheese. Mr. Max wanted to make his favorite, the pepperoni-jalapeno, while I decided to get some pancetta, crisp it up and use that on the my version inspired by their caramelized onion and goat cheese version. Then...we used the ultimate finishing touch: we topped the whole pie with a drizzle of truffle oil. The result? Incredible - see below!

Grocery List:

• 1 ball pizza dough (we picked up our favorite in Dallas from Jimmy's Food Store in East Dallas)
• 1/4 cup red pizza sauce
• 1/4 cup low fat-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 onion, chopped into rings
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• 2 strips pancetta
• 1/4 cup goat cheese crumbles
• 1/4 cup fontina cheese
• 1 tbsp. truffle oil 

*Measurements are based on our approximations during the cooking process.
 
Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees. In a skillet, add the olive oil and the onion slices over low-medium heat. Let cook for 5 minutes, covered. 

After 5 minutes, add the brown sugar, stirring around in the skillet to help coat the onions. Cover and check back periodically, stirring to keep from over-cooking. For best results, saute for at least 25-35 minutes on low heat. The slow cook process on a lower heat will extract the natural sweetness of the onions and caramelize them perfectly.

Remove onions from pan and set aside. Add pancetta to the skillet to begin to crisp over medium-high heat. Cook for about 8 minutes, then remove from skillet. When it is crisped and cooled, chop up into bite-sized bits.

On a pizza stone or large baking sheet, grease the surface, then roll out your crust with a baking pin to about 1/4 inch thick. Top with your preferred amount of sauce. I used a very little amount to provide an adhesive layer between the crust and cheeses, (right side) but not enough to overpower the main ingredient toppings. Mr. Max, however, loves his sauce and coated his side in it (left side).

Next, add your first layer of mozzarella cheese, followed by the caramelized onions and pancetta. Sprinkle the goat cheese and fontina, filling empty space. Once you have all you toppings set, carefully drizzle a light zig-zag of truffle oil from left to right, starting from the top to the bottom. Should not exceed more than 1 tbsp. of the oil.

Place in the oven on a lower oven rack to keep the top from browning too much. Cook for 15 minutes or until dough is golden brown and cheese is bubbling.

This is a break in your regularly scheduled programming for some holiday warmth.

I love having a fireplace and mantle now!

Sitting by the fire and watching a movie as the pizza cooked in the oven...

Back to food. When your pizza is ready, remove from oven and let cool for about 2 minutes.

Cut it up, dish it out and enjoy! We absolutely loved this pizza, it was fun to be creative in our topping choices and the truffle oil was the perfect addition. Mr. Max's verdict: we are never ordering out for pizza again.

My version

Mr. Max's version

Same preparation with more sauce, mozzarella and fontina cheese only, topped with 

pepperoni, minced jalepeno and drizzle of truffle oil

Tastefully yours,