Blue Cheese Pizza Appetizer Recipes

BLUE CHEESE PIZZA, 3 WAYS

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, use a wooden spoon to thoroughly mix together the flour, yeast, and salt. Add the water and mix thoroughly, until the dough comes together in a rough, tacky mass.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let rise at room temperature for 18 hours, or until it has more than doubled. (It will take longer in a chilly room and less time in a very warm one.)
• Once dough has sufficiently proofed, flour a work surface and scrape out the dough. Divide into 3 equal parts. Take one portion of dough and pull all four sides of the dough to the center. It doesn't matter if you start on the left or right, or the top or bottom, what you want is four folds to make it easier for you to form the dough into a perfect round shape.
• Gently seal the seams of the dough and turn, seam-side down, molding the dough gently with your palms into a neat circular mound. Repeat with remaining two portions of dough. Dust the mounds with more flour if they are sticky.
• Let the dough rest for a bit while you prepare your pizza toppings. Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). (If you don't intend to use the dough right away, you can wrap the balls individually in cling-wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Before using, return to room temperature first. Leave the dough out on the counter, covered in a damp cloth or cling-wrap, for 2 to 3 hours before needed.)
• Take one ball of dough and generously flour it, your hands, and the work surface. To me, the easiest way to shape the pizza is by using a rolling pin to flatten the disk a bit, and then gently pressing the dough out with your fingers until you get a 10 to 12 inch piece of dough. Don't worry if it's not round, and don't handle it more than necessary. Don't apply too much force as you roll the dough out with a pin because you want some of the gas bubbles to remain in the dough. It should look slightly blistered. (Another method is to stretch out the dough using your knuckles as you rotate it, but I'm really bad at it!)
• Whatever method you use, place the pizza on the center of a peel or a baking sheet lined with parchment. Top with one or all of the below pizza flavors.
• Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a large frying pan over low heat. Add the onions and pinch of salt. Cook very slowly for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking or burning. Do not be tempted to turn up the heat to hasten the process or your onions might get burnt.
• Once onion are softened and tinged golden, add the brown sugar and balsamic vinegar. Mix together with a wooden spoon. Mix in the mushrooms. The caramelization will now start and continue as you cook the onions for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir occasionally until sticky and caramelized. Remove from heat and use immediately. (Otherwise, store in an airtight container in the fridge. You will not use all the caramelized onions so store leftovers in the fridge in this way. )
• Prepare the pizza by brushing 2 teaspoons olive oil all over the pizza dough. Evenly sprinkle the mozzarella, followed by the mushrooms, the basil, and the crumbled blue cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling and dough is golden brown. Rest 5 minutes, then sprinkle some green onions on top before slicing and serving.
• In a small bowl, mix together cooked chicken and the hot sauce. Brush the olive oil all over your prepared pizza dough, then sprinkle evenly with mozzarella.
• Place pieces of marinated chicken on the pizza, followed by the cilantro. Finally, sprinkle the crumbled blue cheese all over.
• Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling and dough is golden brown. Rest 5 minutes, then sprinkle some green onions on top before slicing and serving.
• In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil and honey. Brush this honey-olive oil all over your flattened round of dough. Sprinkle evenly with mozzarella cheese, then place the slices of pear all over the pizza. Scatter the walnuts and crumbled blue cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling and dough is golden brown. Drizzle more honey on top of the freshly baked pizza. Rest 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

BLUE CHEESE, WALNUT, AND PEAR PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Place the pizza crust on a pizza pan. Bake in the preheated oven until just crisp, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the garlic, Dijon mustard, rosemary, and vinegar in a food processor or blender. Turn on, and drizzle in the olive oil slowly until the dressing has thickened. Quickly pulse in 1/4 cup of blue cheese; season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Spread the vinaigrette over the pizza crust. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of blue cheese evenly over the crust, followed by the mozzarella cheese. Arrange the sliced pears over the cheese, and sprinkle with the toasted walnuts.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese has melted and is bubbly, 7 to 10 minutes. Let cool slightly before cutting into slices.

CHICKEN & BLUE CHEESE PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°. In a large skillet, heat butter and 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms and onion; cook and stir until tender, 4-6 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add spinach; cook and stir over medium-high heat until wilted, 1-2 minutes., Stir in chicken, salt and pepper. Unroll and press dough onto bottom of a greased 15x10x1-in. pan. Spoon chicken mixture over dough. Bake until crust is lightly browned, 14-16 minutes., Sprinkle with cheese and bacon; drizzle with remaining oil. Bake until heated through, 3-5 minutes. Freeze option: Prepare pizza as directed, decreasing bake time to 10 minutes. Top with cheese and bacon; drizzle with remaining oil. Cool. Securely wrap and freeze partially baked pizza. To use, unwrap pizza; bake until crust is lightly browned and toppings are heated through, 15-20 minutes.

BLUE CHEESE APPETIZER PIZZA

Steps:

• Divide bread dough in half. Press each into a 12-in. pizza pan coated with cooking spray; build up edges slightly. Prick dough several times with a fork. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes., Brush dough with oil. Combine the basil, oregano and garlic powder; sprinkle over dough. Bake at 425° for 10 minutes. Arrange onion and tomatoes over crust; sprinkle with cheeses. Bake 8-10 minutes longer or until golden brown.

BLUE CHEESE AND PEAR PIZZA

Steps:

• Put the water in a warm bowl and sprinkle the yeast and brown sugar on top. Stir to dissolve and set aside.
• Combine the rye flour, all-purpose flour, salt and olive oil in a mixing bowl and blend well. Add the yeast mixture and blend. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead about 10 minutes. The dough should not be sticky. Add a litle more flour if necessary.
• Shape the dough into a ball. Lightly oil the inside of a mixing bowl, place the dough in it and cover closely with a sheet of clear plastic wrap. Let the dough stand in a reasonably warm place until it is doubled in bulk, 45 minutes to an hour. Punch the dough down, shape into a ball and return it to a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Let stand again until doubled in bulk, 30 minutes or so.
• Meanwhile, peel the pears and rub them with the lemon to prevent discoloring. Cut the pears in half lengthwise and remove the cores with a melon-ball cutter. Cut the pear halves into the thinnest possible slices. There should be about six cups.
• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
• Punch the dough down and divide it into thirds. Roll out each third into a 10- to 11-inch circle. Sprinkle three pizza tins or baking sheets lightly with cornmeal and place a circle of dough on each.
• Arrange a first layer of pear slices close together in concentric circles on each round, leaving a margin of about one inch from the outer rim of dough. Scatter a third of the grated Gruyere over each. Cover with a slightly smaller portion of pear slices and sprinkle with crumbled blue cheese. Brush the rim of each pizza with melted butter.
• Place the pizzas on a rack in the oven and bake 10 to 12 minutes.