Grill Pan Pizza: Artichoke A La Mode

(Image courtesy of onmilwaukee.com)

Did you ever go to Pizza Man?  I hope you had the chance, especially as it sadly burned down in January.  Pizza Man was this super popular restaurant on the east side of Milwaukee with one of the most extensive wine lists I've seen.  The pizza was by far my favorite- hands-down.  It had this thin crisp crust, amazing sauce, and some of the most interesting topping combinations you could imagine.  When we were in college, my now-husband and I had a few dates there (as well as a few too many selections from that large wine list, but that's another story entirely).

Our favorite thing to order there was the "Artichoke A La Mode" pizza.  It was topped with artichokes, cream cheese, and sliced tomatoes.  The combination only seems crazy if you've never tried it- that pizza was one of the restaurant's most popular.  I've had such a hankering for it lately and figured I could try to recreate it at home.  To get the crisp crust, I used my All-Clad grill pan, first on the stove and then in the oven to finish the pizza.  The method is really simple and you can use it for just about any combination of toppings, as long as you don't load the pizza up too much.  Less can be more, especially with this unbelievable combination of artichokes and cream cheese.  Yum!

Artichoke A La Mode Pizza

*Makes 1 12-inch pizza

Ingredients:

1/2 recipe of my pizza dough (recipe follows- make the whole batch and save 1/2 for another pizza)

Olive oil

2/3 cup (or so) pizza sauce

1/2 cup chopped artichoke hearts

2 ounces cream cheese, cut into small cubes

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese ( I used 1 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup romano, and 1/4 cup parmesan)

Fresh sliced tomatoes

Directions:

1.  Place 12-inch grill pan (or cast-iron skillet) in oven and preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2.  Once pizza dough has doubled, punch down and allow to rest while preparing other ingredients.

3.  Have artichokes chopped, cream cheese cubed, cheese grated, and tomatoes sliced before you start working with the dough!

4.  After assembling all of the ingredients, lightly flour your work surface and roll out dough into a 12-inch circle.

5.  Use an oven mitt to remove grill pan from preheated oven and set on stove top.  (The pan's handle will be very hot!)

6.  Drizzle a little olive oil over the surface of the pan and set the heat to medium high.

7.  Quickly and carefully transfer the dough to the hot pan and cook for 3-4 minutes.

8.  Use a pair of kitchen tongs to flip the crust over.  While pan is still on the heat, quickly top the pizza with prepared ingredients- sauce, then artichokes and cream cheese, grated cheese, and a topping of fresh tomatoes.

9.  Use an oven mitt to transfer grill pan to oven and bake until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned, about 10-15 minutes.

10.  Once pizza is ready, slide out of grill pan onto a large plate, cut, and serve.

My Favorite Pizza Dough

*Makes 2 12-inch pizzas

Ingredients:

1 cup warm water

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for coating

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Place the warm water and sugar in a large mixing bowl.

2. Stir until sugar is dissolved, then sprinkle the yeast onto the surface of the water.

3. Stir the yeast into the water, making sure the yeast is fully dissolved. Set the bowl aside and allow the yeast to proof for a few minutes while measuring and preparing other ingredients.

4. In another mixing bowl, stir together the flour and salt.

5. Check the yeast- it should have bubbled a bit and look foamy. If not, your yeast may be outdated.

6. Into the yeast mixture, add the flour mixture and the olive oil.

7. Stir the ingredients together until they start to form a ball.

8. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for 10 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic.

9. Lightly coat the inside of a large mixing bowl with olive oil.

10. Press the ball of dough into the bottom of the bowl, then flip the dough over so the oiled side is on top.

11. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

12. When ready to use the dough, punch dough down and allow to rest for 15-20 minutes before rolling out, topping, and baking.