Savory apple pizzas

I saved my favorite bistro pizza recipe for last. Layered with tart apples and a hardy cheese, this pizza was inspired by one of my favorite snack combos, Cortland apple slices with either sharp New York cheddar cheese or whatever strong cheese I had on hand, Fontinella, Fontina, Gruyere, even Parmesan works.

A few things that make this recipe work:

The size. The less traditional mini-size pairs well with the less traditional ingredients. I can’t imagine eating a big slice of apple pizza, can you? But a hand-sized one seems perfect.

Fresh ingredients. The apples are at their flavorful peak right now. I like something with a bit up a bite that holds up to baking. I used Cortland apples, but Granny Smith would be a good choice too.

Deli dough. You can make the dough from scratch, but I stop by my neighborhood Italian deli and pick it up to make the meal prep even faster (they have white or whole wheat dough available).

Sweet slather. Before putting on the apples and cheese I brush the dough with agave nectar. You can use honey too, but I prefer the consistency and slight maple flavor of agave.

Even though my kids like the margarita and the meatball pizzas, apple was the surprise winner in our week of bistro pizzas and this was the only recipe I didn’t plan out beforehand. I had extra dough so I looked through my fridge for inspiration and came up with these pizzas. (Side note: I knew I had a good recipe when my daughter asked if she could bring an apple pizza to school with her for lunch.)

Recipe

Ham also goes well with the apple cheese topping

Servings: 4 mini-pizzas

Ingredients

1 bag pizza dough

3-4 tart apples, sliced thin

8-10 small slices of strong cheese (about 8 ounces, Fontinella, Parmesan, Gruyere)

Agave or honey

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Divided the dough into four equal pieces using a floured knife.
3. Roll each dough piece out into a 5-6 inch circle, then place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment.
4. Brush each dough piece generously with agave or honey
5. Layer the apple and cheese slices on top.
6. Bake for 15 minutes until cheese is golden.