I consider sage to be the dominant flavor of Thanksgiving. My mom and I use it in just about every dish, from our roasted butternut squash, to our stuffing, and our delicious turkey butter baste! So when a customer at my restaurant requested that I come up with a recipe for a Thanksgiving-inspired pizza special, I knew sage would be the foundational building block of the pie.
The savory, and slightly peppery, flavor of sage lends itself well with just about any ingredient but since I needed to construct a pie that tasted like Thanksgiving, I decided to pair it with butternut squash, caramelized onions, and cranberry sauce. Instead of using just mozzarella, I opted to add brie cheese which is a soft French cheese made from cow’s milk. The creamy cheese melts very easily when baked and the sweetness of the cheese lends itself well with the tartness of the cranberry sauce.
I have served this pizza to several taste-testers thus far, and each of them have said the same thing…”tastes like Thanksgiving!”
I consider that mission accomplished.
{ Ingredients }
- One pizza crust — I use this recipe by Peter Reinhart
- 1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
- 1 butternut squash, roasted, peeled, and cubed
- 1 wedge brie cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1 spanish onion, sliced, and caramelized
- 1 bunch fresh sage leave, chopped
{ To Make the Pizza }
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Using a spatula, spread the cranberry sauce over the prepared pie crust to the outer edges. Lightly sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese over the cranberry sauce. Thinly slice the brie cheese and place slices onto the pie a few inches apart from each other.
Top the cheese with the caramelized onion and the cubed butternut squash.
Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the edges turn a golden brown and the crust is crispy.
Sprinkle with the chopped sage and serve!
TheGrubDaily 