Nectarine Pizza with Basil and Balsamic Vinegar

Okay, I realize some of you may have already stopped reading after the title - balsamic vinegar on a pizza? I also realize the rest of you may have clicked away after seeing the picture - did somebody squirt ink all over that thing? Well for those of you who remain, I promise your doubts will be squashed and you will be running to your kitchens to make this pizza!

Pizza was one of the only things I knew how to make back when I first moved out with my sister. And by pizza I mean some cheese and tomatoes on a piece of storebought naan bread. It was still delicious, but my pizza making skills have improved just a little since then. I can now make my own dough, I use a pizza stone, and I try to come up with creative toppings. Admittedly, I don't often make my own dough - it's easy, but it does require a fair bit of time, which I don't always have before dinner. And when you can buy fresh balls of dough from the grocery store for a couple of bucks, I don't see anything wrong with that.

Although cheese and tomato pizzas will probably always be my favourite, it's fun to experiment with new toppings. I first tried out this nectarine pizza last summer when I was making three different pizzas for my family and wanted to have at least one option that they wouldn't have tried before. I learned a couple of things from that experience. One was to never try to make three different pizzas at the same time again, unless I'm feeling mad at myself for some reason. The other was that it pays off to try new things - the nectarine pizza was everyone's favourite by far!

I forgot about that pizza until I was reminded by a similar recipe for a peach pizza that recently appeared on Two Peas and Their Pod. With fresh peaches starting to appear in the farmers markets, now was the perfect time to revisit this recipe.

Since I was cooking for just myself as usual (even on a Friday night, sad, I know), I just made a personal sized pizza. So instead of posting the exact amounts of each ingredient I used, which will vary according to the size of the pizza, I'll just list them below, along with some possible substitutions, and you can adjust accordingly. Hope you enjoy, and happy Friday!


Nectarine (or Peach) Pizza with Basil and Balsamic Vinegar

Adapted from Alexandra's Kitchen

Ingredients:

pizza dough
olive oil for greasing
light ricotta (or goat cheese or mascarpone)
1 nectarine or peach, sliced thinly (I used a combination of both on this one)
~ 1 tbsp parmesan
handful of chopped fresh basil
balsamic vinegar (I'd suggest reducing about 1/2 cup for a full sized pizza)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 500ºF, or to the temperature specified on the pizza dough package.

Lightly grease a baking pan with olive oil. Roll out the dough into a circle on the pan and let rest, according to package directions. Alternately you could make your own dough if you have time, or buy a precooked base if you're in a hurry.

Bring the balsamic vinegar to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Watch closely and remove once it is reduced by half (leaving about 1/4 cup) and has a syrupy consistency. You can taste it to make sure it's sweet enough, but be careful not to burn - err on the side of underreduced.

Brush a bit of olive oil over the dough, then spread a layer of ricotta (or desired cheese) as the base. Add the nectarine or peach slices in a single layer then sprinkle a bit of parmesan on top.

Bake the pizza for 10-15 minutes or according to package directions, until crust is slightly brown and cheese is melting. Remove from oven and drizzle the balsamic reduction on top, followed by the fresh basil. Wait a few minutes before cutting, then enjoy!