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Caramelized Onion, Apple and Gruyere Pizza

This is a great pizza for fall. Cut into small pieces, it's a great appetizer for holiday entertaining.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 - 2 medium onions thinly sliced lengthwise from root to tip*
  • 3 TBSP olive oil divided
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 TBSP balsamic vinegar optional
  • 1 batch pizza dough or prepared pizza crust
  • 1 medium granny smith apple thinly sliced crosswise (a mandoline is ideal for this)
  • 6-10 sage leaves
  • 1 large clove garlic
  • 1 cup shredded gruyere cheese
  • thyme sprigs fresh parsley and balsamic glaze for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  • Heat 2 TBSP olive oil in a cast iron or other large skillet on medium heat
  • Add onions to pan and allow them to cook without stirring for 1-2 minutes.
  • Stir onions to expose more raw onions to the bottom of the pan and allow them to sit for another 1-2 minutes.
  • Continue the stirring and letting sit process for 15-25 minutes until onions are deeply browned and caramelized.
  • Add thyme, salt and pepper to onions and set aside.
  • Prepare pizza dough using my flip method above or according to package directions.
  • If using my flip method, rub garlic on par-cooked crust.
  • Brush dough/crust with remaining 1 TBSP of olive oil and top with caramelized onions.
  • Top onion mixture with apple slices and gruyere.
  • Add sage leaves on top of the cheese and season pizza with salt and pepper.
  • Bake in 500 degree oven (or according to package directions on dough/ crust) until dough is cooked through and cheese is melted and bubbling, ~ 5-10 minutes.

Notes

*I was reading a Michael Chiarello cookbook a few months ago and came across something interesting that I have put into use ever since: slicing onions lengthwise instead of crosswise. You cut the tips off both ends of the onion (root and top) and then cut the onion in half lengthwise, root to tip. From there you create your onion slices, slicing from root to tip. This approach yields shorter and more even slices and prevents long stringy pieces that can be unappealing.