Roasted Grape Pizza with Herbed Ricotta

(another incredible creation from the cafe flora recipe book. all i can say is wow.)

Ingredients

Herbed Pizza Dough (recipe to come)
3 cups grapes, removed from stem
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
salt and freshly ground pepper
cornmeal for the peel and pizza stone
1/2 c herbed ricotta (see recipe below)
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
1/4 c grated mozzarella
1/2 c chopped roasted pistacios

Instructions

make the dough, set aside to rise. preheat oven to 400 (stone needs ~30 minutes to preheat in oven)

Toss the grapes in the oil, vinegar, Rosemary, and a pinch of s&p.

sread the grapes on a rimmed baking sheet large enough to accommodate them without crowding. roast until they deflate & shrivel, about 25 minutes. remove and set aside.

roast and chop your nuts (i give them a good whirl in the food processor. yum!)

turn the oven up to 500 degrees and roll out half the pizza dough into a 10-inch circle on a floured circle. sprinkle a pizza peel with cornmeal and place the dough on top.

spread 1/4 c herbed ricotta evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/4 inch border. drain any liquid from the roasted grapes and scatter half of them evenly over the ricotta. sprinkle with half of the grated cheese and nuts.

slide the pizza from the peel directly onto the stone and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, rotating halfway through baking.

prepare the second pizza while the first is baking. allow to cool for several minutes (those grapes get hot!)



Herbed Ricotta Ingredients

1/4 c sliced almonds or pine nuts, toasted
1 c ricotta cheese
1 tsp chopped garlic
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tbsp olive oil.

Instructions

put the almonds in food processor, pulse till chopped. add remaining ingredients except olive oil. with the machine running, drizzle in the olive oil, and process to a smooth paste.