Makes 3 medium (12" - 14") thin crust pizzas
Here in Connecticut, the farmer's markets have just begun. And that means gorgeous massive heirloom tomatoes are here. These large tomatoes come in an array of colorful, incredibly sweet and delicious fruit.
These non-hybrid tomatoes have a significantly shorter shelf life. Be sure to use these within a few days of purchasing. Due to their size, they are also prone to bruising so gently transport these tomatoes home.
Heirloom tomatoes are best enjoyed in minimally processed dishes, like sandwiches, salads, or simple pizzas like this Heirloom Tomato Pie with Roasted Garlic. All you'll need is some pizza dough, roasted garlic, olive oil, basil, thyme, tomatoes, cheese, salt & pepper, to make this rustic pie. Because this is a thin crust pizza, baking time is super short - between 6 and 12 minutes, depending on how crisp you prefer the crust. Using a high heat oven heat of 500F - 550F degrees, be sure to preheat the oven and pizza stone at least 30 minutes before baking. It takes quite a bit of time for a pizza stone to come up to the temperature of the oven.
Heirloom Tomato Pie with Roasted Garlic
About 30 oz. pizza dough, divided into 3 rounds (Recipe to make your own HERE)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 bulb (about 8 - 10 cloves) roasted garlic (Recipe to make your own HERE)
2 large (about 14 - 18 oz) heirloom tomato, thin slices about 1/8" thick
4 oz low moisture mozzarella cheese, shredded
3 Tbsp grated pecorino cheese (or Parmesan)
3 tsp minced basil
9 sprigs (about 1/2" each) thyme
Sea salt and black pepper
Optional:
1 oz fresh arugula
3 tsp balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp grated pecorino cheese (or Parmesan)
Directions:
Set oven rack to the lowest position with the pizza stone on the rack. Preheat oven to 500F to 550F degrees. Allow the stone and the oven to preheat for at least 30 to 45 minutes before baking.
In a small bowl, smash the roasted garlic cloves into the extra virgin olive oil to make a paste.
On a moderately floured surface, stretch one of the dough rounds into a disk, about 12" to 14" in diameter, and less than 1/4" thick. Dock the surface of the dough. Docking perforates the dough to keep the crust thin while baking. To dock, simply use the tines of a fork to poke small holes every 1/4" across the entire surface of the dough - be sure to go all the way to the edge of the crust.
Brush the dough ever so lightly with some of the garlic paste oil. Transfer the dough to a well floured or cormealed pizza peel. Arrange thin slices of tomatoes in a single layer on the dough. Lightly brush the top of each tomato with more of the garlic paste oil. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the shredded mozzarella cheese and 1 Tbsp grated pecorino cheese.
Sprinkle the top with 1 tsp of fresh minced basil and 3 sprigs of thyme. Lightly sprinkle the top with sea salt and black pepper.
Transfer the pizza from the peel to the preheated pizza stone. Bake the pizza in the oven for 6 to 12 minutes, depending on how hot your oven is and how dark you prefer the crust.
Remove the pizza from the stone and allow to cool slightly before serving. Repeat this process for the other 2 pizzas.
Transfer to serving board/plate. Right before serving, garnish the top of each pizza with a bit of fresh arugula. Drizzle 1 tsp of balsamic vinegar over each pizza, and sprinkle each pizza with 1 Tbsp of grated pecorino cheese.
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