Now that fall is here, nothing sounds better than a big glass of Cabernet Franc and something tasty in the oven to enjoy it with. During the cooler months we love turning our ovens on full blast filling the house with amazing scents and heating it at the same time. Pizzas are perfect for this. The hotter the oven the better and who doesn’t love the smell of fresh homemade pizza wafting through the house. Grab a bottle of our 2011 Carr Cabernet Franc and enjoy this recipe that we adapted from gingersnaps.
Steak, Gorgonzola Pizza with Balsamic Reduction
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. pizza dough (recipe follows)
- Flour (and cornmeal if available), for work surface
- Olive oil, for brushing crust
- 1/2 c. shredded Fontina cheese
- 1/2 c. shaved Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 c. Gorgonzola
- Handful of arugula
Steak
- 10 oz. New York strip steak
- 2 tbsps. olive oil
- 2 tbsps. balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsps. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp. minced garlic
- More olive oil for cooking
Balsamic Reduction
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 T. honey
- 1/4 t. black pepper
Directions
1. Mix all of the steak marinade ingredients together and marinate steak in refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.
2. Put your pizza stone on the floor of your oven (or lowest rack), then preheat oven to 500º degrees. Bring balsamic vinegar to boil in small pan, then reduce heat to medium. Cook until vinegar is reduced by half. Stir in honey and pepper.
3. Heat 2 tbsps. olive oil in saute pan over medium-high heat. Add steak and cook 5 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Remove from heat, cover with foil and rest while making pizza.
4. Roll pizza dough to a thin crust on a floured work surface (add cornmeal if you have it). Brush with olive oil, using gloves take the pizza stone out of the oven, put the dough on it then place it back in the oven as low as you can, and bake until slightly golden, about 7-8 minutes.
5. Remove crust from oven, sprinkle with Fontina and Parmesan. Add about half of the Gorgonzola in large chunks. Return to oven and bake until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. Meanwhile, slice the steak.
6. Remove from oven, add sliced steak, remaining chunks of Gorgonzola, and arugula. Drizzle with balsamic reduction and enjoy!
I have been searching for the best pizza dough recipe and have tried many different kinds and finally found one that I think works the best.
Pizza Dough
- 1/2 c. water 100-110ºF
- 2 tsps. dry active yeast
- 1 tsp. honey
- 1.5 lbs. flour (about 5 cups)
- 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1.25 c. water
1. Gently mix your dry active yeast and honey into your warm water and let sit until it gets really foamy (about 15-20 minutes).
2. Meanwhile in a large mixing bowl add your flour (I typically use about half and half whole wheat and white flour) and salt.
3. Once your yeast mixture is ready, add the olive oil, remaining water and your yeast mixture into your flour and mix until smooth.
4. Scrap out onto a floured surface and knead for about 5-10 minutes until your dough is soft and smooth. Place your dough in a lightly oiled large bowl cover and set in a warm place to rise. Let it sit for about an hour or until nearly doubled in size (when you press it with your finger it should leave an impression that doesn’t bounce back)
5. Scrape your dough out onto a floured surface again and cut into halves or quarters (depending on how big of pizza’s you want to make). Now take each section and roll into another ball making sure that all the seams are on the bottom so no air bubbles escape (you want a smooth surface on top again). Give each piece enough space to rise again, cover with saran wrap lightly and let rise for another hour.
6. Your dough is now ready to use! You can freeze whatever you do not use in an airtight container for a later use.