It’s September. As summer slowly comes to an end and the days get shorter, autumn arrives.
I just love those late summer and early autumn days. The light has a different quality to it. It somehow feels like the light gets warmer as the days gradually get colder. We get the first chill nights. A certain melancholy and darkness is creeping into things. To me, it’s like being able to breathe freely again after the summer months.
Now, we didn’t have a particularly hot summer this year. It was rainy and cool. But even the hot days we had were exhausting. I tend to suffer a little in the heat and always long for autumn and winter and the colder half of the year. And while we’re not quite there yet, while there are still a few hot days ahead of us, I’m waiting impatiently for the leaves to turn golden, the mist to cover the fields at night and for our squashs to ripen.
So naturally, as it is September now, I’ll celebrate my favourite season with a delicious and easy fall recipe.
I have said it before, I’ll never get tired of saying it again and again: I am in love with autumn.
But I’ll tell you something I haven’t mentioned here before. In fact, I have two confessions to make.
Confession number 1: I’m not a fan of pizza. I don’t hate it. But I don’t love it either. If given the choice, I’ll opt for something else on the menu. I’m also extremely picky when it comes to pizza. Which makes being married to a real pizza fiend challenging. (I mean, no, not really, of course). But the autumn pizza recipe I’ll share is one of the few rare exceptions and I tend to look forward to making it. Maybe it’s because it tastes like fall: a little earthy, a little sweet, a little savoury.
Confession number 2: yeast and I are not going to become best friends in this life. I try to avoid yeasty doughs whenever I can. It takes so long and yeast is so finicky and unpredictable that I only deal with this culinary drama queen if I absolutely have to. I make cinnamon rolls with homemade yeast dough, naturally. I make it for German Easter bread and other breads, too, but for a pizza? Pffft. I couldn’t be bothered. So, to eliminate this source of stress, I tend to buy pizza dough at the store. It’s not the best. It’s not the healthiest. But it saves time and mental resources for me in an already stressful life.
I know. Shocking.
On both accounts.
The point of those confessions is this: you can make or use whichever pizza dough is your favourite. Store-bought (which I use), whole wheat, any flatbread cheat recipe or the ancient heirloom pizza dough recipe that has been handed down in your family for generations – it will all work for this simple sheet pizza.
But let’s move on to the recipe, shall we?
We’ll use pear, sour cream, scallions and salami for this autumn pizza. Make sure your pears are ripe and sweet. Since I’m pescatarian and Frank is a meat-a-saurus, to quote the original Jurassic Park movie, I’ll usually split the pizza in the middle. I use real salami for him and a vegetarian pseudo-salami for myself.
brie & pear autumn pizza
recipe
ingredients:
- 400 g (about 14 oz) pizza dough of your choice (storebought, homemade, whole wheat – choose your favourite – it should be enough for a large baking tray)
- 200 g (about 1 cup or 7-8 oz) sour cream
- 1 large, ripe pear
- 1 bunch (about 6 – 8) scallions (I like to use the red variety)
- 200 g (about 7 oz) brie cheese
- 200 g (about 7 oz) sliced salami of your choice (I use vegetarian options)
- salt and pepper to taste
- a pinch of chili flakes (or more, if you like)
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 240 degrees Celsius / 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cut your brie cheese into small cubes.
Wash the scallions and pear and remove the outer skins of the scallions.
Then cut the scallions into fine rolls.
Use a kitchen mandoline to cut the pear into very thin slices. You can cut them by hand as well, but if the pear slices get too thick, the pizza dough will turn out soggy. I use a large piping tip to punch out the core and pits of the pear slices. Discard the core. You can also use a knife, but I like the neat look of punching the centre out.
Roll out your pizza dough to the size of your baking tray. This won’t be a round pizza, but a sheet pizza will yield more servings.
Spread the sour cream onto the pizza dough.
Put the slices of the salami on top, continue to layer the pear slices over it and finish with the brie cubes. Make sure to spread all ingredients evenly.
Sprinkle the scallion rolls on top of your autumn pizza, add salt and pepper to taste and finish with a sprinkle of chili flakes.
Bake for 20 minutes. Cut into desired shapes and portions and serve your autumn pizza hot.
auf Deutsch, bitte:
Zutaten:
- 400 g Pizzateig nach Wahl (gekauft, selbstgemacht, Vollkorn, alles geht – es sollte genug für ein Backbleck sein)
- 200 g Schmand oder Sour Cream
- 1 große, reife Birne
- 1 Bund (etwa 6-8) Frühlingszwiebeln (ich benutze gerne die rote Variante)
- 200 g Brie
- 180 – 200 g Salami nach Wahl (ich benutze die vegetarische Variante)
- Salz und Pfeffer nach Geschmack
- 1 Prise Chiliflocken (oder mehr)
Zubereitung:
Den Ofen auf 240°C vorheizen.
Danach den Brie in kleine Würfel schneiden
Die Frühlingszwiebeln und Birne waschen und die äußeren Häute der Frühlingszwiebel entfernen.
Nun die Frühlingszwiebeln in feine Röllchen schneiden.
Mit einem Küchenhobel werden die Birnen in sehr feine Scheiben geschnitten. Das geht natürlich auch von Hand, aber wenn die Birnenscheiben zu dick werden, wird der Pizzateig im Ofen feucht und matschig. Ich benutze eine große Spritztülle, um das Kerngehäuse der Scheiben auszustechen und zu entfernen. Ein Messer tut es natürlich auch, aber ich mag das saubere Aussehen einer ausgestochenen Mitte.
Den Pizzateig nun auf die Größe des Backblechs ausrollen.
Als Nächstes wird der Schmand auf dem Teig dünn verstrichen.
Die Salamischeiben darauf verteilen, danach mit den Birnenscheiben genau so verfahren und am Ende den Brie darüber verteilen. Dabei immer sicher gehen, dass die Zutaten gleichmäßig auf dem Blech verteilt sind.
Als Letztes die Frühlingszwiebeln über die Herbstpizza streuen, nach Geschmack mit Salz und Pfeffer würzen und mit Chiliflocken bestreuen.
Im Backofen für 20 Minuten backen. Danach in gewünschte Portionen schneiden und heiß servieren.
