Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Caramelized Onion, Blue Cheese and Walnut Pizza



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I used to serve small squares of this pizza as a cocktail appetizer. People loved the combination of caramelized onions with blue cheese and toasted or candied walnuts. We had it so often that I grew tired of it and that usually marks the death knell for my recipes. Once retired, they're rarely used again. This one has been pardoned and given a second life because of Meatless Mondays. As you can see, I've resurrected the recipe and we had the pizza for supper tonight. The recipe makes a nice pie and if you're looking to serve something a bit outside the box, you might enjoy this one. The pizza can be made with a standard dough or served on a flatbread or tortilla. While this is simple to make, it is not speedy and you'll need time to caramelize the onions. The mantra here remains the same. The onions must be watched as they cook. Once they start to caramelize they move from brown to black in the wink of an eye. If they char or burn you'll have to start again. This is a highly flavored pie and to enjoy it, you have to love all three of its major ingredients. If the trio appeals to you, you'll love this pizza. Here's the recipe.

Caramelized Onion, Blue Cheese and Walnut Pizza - Meatless Monday...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided use
2 tablespoons butter
2 pounds yellow onions, very thinly sliced
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 pound pizza dough
1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

Directions:

1) Heat 2 tablespoons oil and butter in a large heavy skillet set over medium heat. Add onions and salt, stirring frequently until onions begin to brown, about 20 minutes. Add sugar and cook, stirring frequently until onions are well-browned, about 15 minutes longer. Do not allow onions to burn. Season with pepper to taste.
2) Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray bottom of a round or rectangular pizza pan with nonstick cooking spray. Press dough into pan, building up sides slightly. Brush crust with reserved 1 tablespoon oil. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Spread onions on crust. Top with walnuts and blue cheese. Return to oven and bake until cheese starts to soften and brown, about 10 minutes. Serve hot. Yield: 4 -6 servings.

You might also like these recipes:
Greek-Style Flatbread Pizza - One Perfect Bite
Onion Parmesan Focaccia with Tomatoes - One Perfect Bite
Whole Wheat Olive Flatbread Focaccia - One Perfect Bite

68 comments :

PranisKitchen said...

wow mary whata delicious pizza..the caramelized onion wow really superb..nice combination of nut cheese and sweet onion.feel to taste some

Alexandra said...

This is a wonderful idea for a meatless dish.
It is satisfying, and makes you feel like you've had a full entree.

Very nice choice.

We make something similar in the kitchen where I cater: with gorgonzola cheese red pear slices.

The pear in the oven with the cheese on top is fantastic.

Ren- Lady Of The Arts said...

Yummy and I can't get enough of your blue cheese craze- is there such thing as a blue cheese dessert?

Mickey said...

Oh Mary, this looks lovely. Love all three flavors! Meatless Monday sounds like a great idea too.
Mickey

Jeannie said...

Looks so tantalising! It's lunchtime here and I am so drooling!

Angie's Recipes said...

It's simply mouthwatering!

Cat said...

Wow! This looks absolutely mouth-watering! I cannot wait to try it! I'm loving that so many of your recent recipes contain blue cheese. I'm a long time reader of your fabulous blog, but first time follower as I've only just opened a blogger account and set up a blog (http://bakezilla1.blogspot.com/). I just hope mine is as great as yours! :)

DailyChef said...

Love the continuation of the blue cheese theme. This pizza is so unique and delicious looking!

Cherine said...

The pizza looks so inviting!!

Jamie said...

Oh I think the flavors together must be outrageously delicious! I love blue cheese and I think caramelized onions are fab on anything! Perfect!

Ciao Chow Linda said...

I'm glad you resurrected that Mary. It sounds like a winning combination.

Priya Suresh said...

Thats an interesting and tempting pizza..

Diane said...

That really sounds good and all my favourite tastes. Diane

3 hungry tummies said...

That is such a perfect combination, one bite is surely not enough for me :)

Mary | Deep South Dish said...

I can totally see this as a party app! I'm a nut for caramelized onions - especially Vidalia!

Have a wonderful week Mary!

My Little Space said...

I'm so impressed with the sweet & savory flavour on the pizza. Sounds amazingly delicious! Well done, Mary! Hope you're having a wonderful day too!
Regards, Kristy

Allie and Pattie said...

Mary, I have served this on flatbreads and on bruschetta and it's always been a hit, but haven't done so in a while- thanks for the reminder. Have a great week!
xoxo pattie

Rachana said...

What a mouthwatering combination!

Inspired by eRecipeCards said...

I do love all three ingredients... a winner!

Salsa Verde said...

Hi Mary,
This recipe sounds so delish!!!! I tried once a tart with the caramelised red onion and goat's cheese and was superb, but now, I can't wait to try your recipe!!
Love,
Lia.

Federica Simoni said...

splendida ricetta....mmmmm....che fame!!!bravissima!!

Sushma Mallya said...

beautiful pizza i have ever seen, looks so delicious as well..

Lisa said...

Being a huge fan of all blue cheeses, this and the blue cheese bread below are heaven to me..especially after a week of caramelized sugar and pastry cream. Thank you for posting the recipes for both! They look amazing!!

pigpigscorner said...

Anything with caramelised onions! and blue cheese made it even better!

lisa said...

Mary, this sounds delicious. Caramelized onions are one of my favorites.

Red Nomad OZ said...

Hi Mary! Greetings from Australia!!

This recipe looks sensational - I once loathed blue cheese, but have got over that, thank god...

Have a great day!

Martha said...

This is a favorite of ours only with Stonewall Kitchen onion marmalade! I haven't fixed it in a long time -- thanks for the reminder!

past perfect said...

Great combination.. looks like dessert tumbled with all those wonderful things! I really do need to keep pizza dough around!

Ma What's 4 dinner said...

Do you deliver? I'll take 2! That looks delicious. I'm you're latest follower.

Lots of yummy love,
Alex aka Ma, What's for Dinner
www.mawhats4dinner.com

Anonymous said...

Hi Mary! Totally agree ... the caramelized onions and strong cheese are a great combo. There's a specific region of Italy known for something like this ... escaping me right now ... but they make ovalized pizzas, much longer than wide, with onions and anchovies.

We were going to grill a pizza this weekend but the Front Range winds didn't cooperate, so we tried the Bittman pan-fried instead.

Cheers!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

This pizza deserves it's moment to shine Mary:D Thanks for bringing it out of retirement.

Tracy F. said...

This looks fabulous!

tasteofbeirut said...

Mary
I love the idea of serving this pizza in small bite-size squares! Perfect combo of ingredients too! Need to make it soon.

penny aka jeroxie said...

Good idea! I need more vegetarian ideas.

Claudia said...

I love the trio - this is a must-do. And now, this recipe will never be retired because we all have it!

Debbi Does Dinner Healthy said...

Great looking pizza! I love it!

MaryMoh said...

Looks beautiful and delicious. Makes me want to eat pizza for dinner.

Taylor said...

This combination sounds amazing! I have pizza dough that I made this weekend in the freezer waiting to be used...now I know what to do with it :)

Kim said...

Mary - The combination of flavors on this pizza is irresistible. It looks so good! You might like another version of this by Tyler Florence. He spread mascarpone on the pizza or flatbread, then caramelized onions, blue cheese, walnuts and halved grapes. It may sound strange, but the sweet pop in your mouth from the grapes is really tasty. Have a great day!

Finla said...

Thankyou somuch for the knid words you wrote in my place, you are so sweet. Love this tart looks really yumm. Love all three ingridients in it too.

Kait said...

This pizza looks terrific! Definitely worth the effort to make the caramelized onions.

Susi's Kochen und Backen said...

This pizza looks amazing. The combination is making my mouth water right now. I think my blue cheese loving husband would go insane if I made this dish. I'm bookmarking it!

Unknown said...

how lovely Mary. I'm crazy about caramelised onion. I put them in stews, burger topping, sandwiches, etc. Pizza is next I believe :)
Have a great day. Michael

Arti said...

Very interesting combo..
Looks absolutely delicious and divine!!
Love to try them some day!

momgateway said...

.....pizza with the best toppings---caramelized onions and blue cheese--lovely combination, Mary

Maria said...

Love this pizza!

Gloria Baker said...

OMG ! This pizza look absoluely fantastuc Mary! xxxx gloria

A SPICY PERSPECTIVE said...

Mmmm! Blue cheese and walnuts--you are speaking my language!

RamblingTart said...

Oh this is divine, Mary! :-) What a lovely combination. :-) I have nuts in my freezer and can't wait to experiment more with them. :-) Beautiful!

Joe Ambrosino said...

I put caramelized onions on my foccacia. I will add gorganzola and walnuts on my next one. Great idea, Mary!

GayathriRaj said...

hey thats a lovely pizzaaa....and adding nuts in it is a good thought i feel...
First time to ur blog and u have a lovely space...happy to follow u....

Lyndas recipe box said...

Sadly, I'm not a blue cheese fan Mary. Wish I was because the rest of this pizza sounds wonderful! I love caramellized onions!

Jen_from_NJ said...

I'm still drooling over your blue cheese burger topping! Another recipe with caramelized onions and blue cheese - fantastic! This is great for meatless Monday.

Sarah said...

Man. Talk about a perfect bite... piece... pizza!

The Blonde Duck said...

I haven't had pizza in so long!

Kristen said...

Even if this recipe doesn't stay resurrected in your household for long, thank you for sharing it with the rest of us. This will be a great addition to an appetizer platter. I can't wait to try it.

Deb in Hawaii said...

I love the combination--this looks like a perfect dinner or appetizer pizza. Yum!

FOODalogue said...

Oh, no...this was a premature burial! So glad you decided to give it new life.

SallyBR said...

I cannot believe that I've never thought about pizza squares as appetizers! I do pizza all the time...

shame, shame, shame on me!

Great post!

Tina said...

Mary – Great idea on the bread,. I recently read about doing something similar with garlic butter and slicing/smearing into bread in a Tyler Florence cookbook. Thanks for sharing the photos of the gardens in Oregon . So beautiful. Love it. Would love to visit that part of the country one day.

Megan said...

This is right up my alley. Thumbs up!

Juliana said...

Mary, what a nice pizza, never thought in topping it with walnut...it sure sounds and looks delicious. Have a nice week :-)

Krista said...

I can see how this would be a favorite appetizer! What wonderful flavors and textures. I'm just starting to like bleu cheese. What a tasty combination!

Devaki said...

WOW! I am smacking my lips as I am writing this.

The flavors are incredible and I can totally see this being a huge hit as appetizers!

Wonderful flavors especially with the candied walnuts.

Puna said...

I love your blue cheese series but I put the brakes on this recipe...I guess I'll have to try it before making a judgement!

Rocquie said...

That beautiful looking pizza sounds scrumptious.

Sasha said...

This pizza looks too good to be retired. I'd love to serve/be served this at a party : )

The Chef In My Head said...

Fabulous flavor combinations!! ~LeslieMichele

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