This is the pizza that is preceded by the words “dreams are made of this….”. If you think I am self-promoting or exaggerating the greatness of said pizza, I think you will have to try it to see if it lives up to the hype (mine).
On a more serious note (not really), I have been consumed this summer by pizza, whipped ricotta and corn. These three things have dominated my food thoughts. This is not to say I am not also obsessed with brownies, burgers and pasta but these are lower on my priorities list as the summer quickly passes and I am buying all of the corn I can get my hands on.
This pizza is quite easy whether you make your own dough or not. My FAVORITE pizza dough is the Thin Crust Whole Wheat Pizza Dough fom Halfbakedharvest. Tieghan can really cook and this is one of my favorite go-to pizza crust recipes. You have to plan ahead because the dough must sleep in the fridge overnight. The time is well worth spending because this crust is just chewy and crispy and delicious and perfect for its Four Cheese topping.
The garlicky, buttery sauteed shrimp and shitake mushrooms combined with the roasted garlic flavored whipped ricotta (need I say more?) is a mouth watering blend of flavors and textures. The crunch from the pizza dough and creaminess of all the cheeses in the topping take this pizza to an entirely different level of pizza. Not that there is anything wrong with pizza delivery but if you want to have a dinner party, you CANNOT just call for pizza. You have to make something to impress. And this is just the recipe to generate a chorus of oohs and aaahs.
So run to the Farmers’ Market and get the last of the summer corn and please make this pizza before you have to wait another year for it. Undoubtedly, once you try it, you will have a hard time waiting that long.
Four Cheese Corn, Shitake Mushroom and Prosciutto Pizza
Ingredients
For the pizza:
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons minced garlic divided
- 1 pound pizza dough purchased or homemade
For the shrimp and mushrooms:
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ¾ pound medium shrimp cleaned and dried
- ½ pound thinly sliced shitake mushrooms
- 15 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 1/3 cup half and half
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1/3 pound shredded Fontina
- 3 ears fresh corn kernels cut from the cob
- 1/3 pound prosciutto pulled into thin strips
- 6 ounces fresh mozzarella thin to medium sliced
- 2 cups arugula optional
Instructions
For the pizza:
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In a small bowl combine olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Set aside until ready to grill the pizza.
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Preheat a gas grill to 450 degrees.
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Spray two large, disposable aluminum foil cookie sheets with cooking spray or brush with olive oil. Poke about two dozen holes in the cookie sheet using a small knife and turning it to form a circle.
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Form the dough into two pizzas and set them aside on a well-floured board. Brush the pizza crusts with the olive oil and garlic mixture.
For the shrimp and mushrooms:
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In a large sauté pan, over medium heat melt the butter and add the shitake mushrooms. Turn the heat to high and sauté the mushrooms quickly until they just start to brown.
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Lower the heat to medium and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of garlic. As soon as the garlic turns translucent, add the shrimp, toss them with the mushrooms and lift and turn them until they are just cooked, about 3-4 minutes. They will cook more on the pizza so you do not want to overcook them.
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Set shrimp and shitake mushroom mixture aside.
For the whipped ricotta mixture:
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In a blender, Nutri Bullet or Vitamix add the ricotta, parmesan, half and half and the salt. Pour in any of the garlic oil that you have left from brushing the pizza dough.
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Blend the ricotta mixture until it is very smooth, stirring down the sides of the blender twice.
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Place the pizza dough on the two greased pans. Place the pans on the hot grill for 3 minutes with the top of the grill down. Turn the pizza crust over and cook for 3 more minutes. Do not allow the crusts to burn.
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Lower the heat on the grill to 350 degrees, or a medium setting.
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Remove the pans from the grill and top the pizzas first with the ricotta mixture, then evenly divide the shrimp and mushroom mixture between the two pizzas.
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Sprinkle the pizzas with the shredded fontina, the raw corn and the prosciutto. Top with the slices of buffalo mozzarella.
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Place the pans back on the grill and cover the pizzas.
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When the mozzarella melts, the pizza is done. This should take 4-5 minutes only and make sure the bottoms of the pizza do not burn.
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Top with arugula if desired.
Yum! I love the idea to use corn! Looking forward to trying this.
Thanks so much for reading my blog and for the nice comment!