The ultimate Valentine's Day meal is definitely a heart-shaped pizza. Who doesn't love pizza? Do you do a classic pepperoni and cheese or try something more adventurous with a Pear, Brie and Prosciutto? Do not fret both recipes are below!
You can make this easy for a great date night or if your kids are your valentines let them join in on the fun of making each pizza the way they want! Heart shaped pepperoni is very simple, I used scissors to cut mine and it was very effective. When it comes to shaping the dough it can be a little tricky, my best advice is to use a rolling pin to help stretch the dough out in three directions, then using your hands shape your heart-shape dough and get topping that pizza.
In this post I included and quick homemade pizza sauce recipe. I used my favourite dough recipe that I found in the cookbook Fraiche Food Full Hearts, you make the dough the night before and let it rise for 18-20 hours, then you have a perfect dough to shape your pizzas with. When cooking these pizzas I usually use a pizza stone, preheat your oven to 550F with the pizza stone inside, once your pizzas are ready to go in the preheated oven you will have a tasty meal in 7-9 minutes!
You can get creative with pizza and I think the most fun is testing out different topping combinations to find some amazing flavour pairings, who knew that brie cheese would be such a great pizza topping and how Canadian of me to add fruit to pizza? But pears, brie and prosciutto made a wonderful combo, complimented with peppery arugula and sweet balsamic reduction, what a home run!
Heart-Shaped Pizza
Pizza Sauce;
Ingredients
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup white onion, diced finely
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups strained tomatoes
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions
In a medium pot on medium heat, heat olive oil then add onion and cook for 2 minutes or until soften and translucent. Add garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute or until garlic becomes fragrant. Add basil, oregano, salt and pepper and cook for one minute.
Pour strained tomatoes, tomato paste and maple syrup into pot and cook until mixture starts to bubble, cover with lid and reduce heat to low. Cook on low for about 15 minutes and then remove from heat. Cool completely in covered pot before using. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Pepperoni pizza toppings:
- pizza sauce
- heart shaped pepperoni
- mozzarella and cheddar cheese, grated
- parmasan cheese
- dried basil and dried oregano
Pear, Brie and Prosciutto pizza toppings:
- Olive oil and dried basil, brushed onto dough
- prosciutto
- brie cheese, sliced
- Bartlett pears, sliced thinly
- arugula, for topping cooked pizza
- balsamic reduction, for drizzle
Instructions for cooking:
Preheat oven to 550F with pizza stone inside. Roll out heart shaped dough, top each heart with pizza toppings of your choice, pepperoni and cheese OR pear, brie and prosciutto.
Using a large flipper or pizza spatula transfer uncooked pizza to hot pizza stone in preheated oven. This step can be messy but take your time and do not burn yourself! Cook for 7-9 minutes or until crust is nice golden brown on the bottom. Remove from oven and serve! If you are eating the pear pizza top it with the arugula and balsamic reduction once you have removed it from the oven.
Two yummy edible valentines to give to your family, friends or your someone special!
Enjoy!
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