Weekly Dish

Oh, the tricks of September in Louisiana.

I tell you, I am a schoolgirl at heart. Which is probably why I have only spent a few years of my life not in school. I love the idea of it: the allure of a pretty blank notebook, the possibility imbued in the perfectly sharp point of an unused pencil, the excitement of new students milling around campus. Ideally, the start of school should usher in a new season, too, and Fall ranks as one of my favorites — mellowing the scorching summer sun, blowing a breeze across the damp summer humidity, killing off the clouds of mosquitoes.

Only, I live in southern Louisiana, where the start of school coincides with the hottest of hot days. My trek across campus from the parking lot to my office should, in my perfect September, involve the wind blowing the rustling leaves across my path and gently tousling my hair; instead, I arrive in front of my office door sticky with sweat, out of breath, with my hair plastered across my forehead. Of course, part of that is because my starting-school memories hearken back to the days when Labor Day was the last of the summer holidays, not the first of the fall ones. But still, down here, summer reaches her tentacles deep into the “fall” semester every year, yet I am still properly offended by the thick, hot air when I open my front door to head to school on the very first day.

The end of such days doesn’t make a body gravitate towards a hot stove, that’s for sure, even if one is no less hungry.

Thankfully, the stage of my program I’m currently in, I only have to go to campus twice a week; other days, my reading, writing, and research can happen within the confines of my air-conditioned living room.

And dinner can happen gradually, as my study-breaks and baby-care allow. Pizza is one meal that appreciates a gradual treatment — happy to come together when I have a few minutes, rather than demanding my attention for a concentrated block of time. For that reason, pizza fits our lifestyle pretty well, and we eat it on a pretty regular basis.

This recipe is one of the best pizzas we’ve eaten in a while, and like many other meals that happen in my kitchen, it was a bit of an accident. I meant to make apple and Havarti quesadillas, but when I made my salad at lunch, I realized that we didn’t have tortillas. Or Havarti cheese. So I started some dough in the mixer and decided we’d have apple pizza instead.

The resulting concoction — sweet and rich with caramelized onions and apples, smoky and salty with the bacon, gooey with melted cheddar — tasted almost good enough to make me forget that it is closer to 100 degrees outside than to any respectable autumnal temperature. That is, of course, until I put on my flip-flops and tank top the next morning and scratched at my mosquito bites. Oh, well, at least at this rate I’ll feel really grateful for the slightest cool in the air. And for good meals spent indoors: another Louisiana September, with pizza, I think I can endure.

Apple-Bacon Pizza

This recipe is particularly conducive to the cook-when-you-can strategy; the apples and onions can caramelize for 10 minutes over medium heat, or you can turn the heat way down and let them cook for much longer (just make sure to stir every once in a while).

I’ve been meaning to experiment with crust recipes, but this one is so reliable (and I have the recipe memorized) that I haven’t gotten around to it yet. I’d imagine this topping would go nicely with a nutty whole-wheat crust too, but feel free to substitute your favorite crust (or even use store-bought!)

The amount of cheese, also, is open to tweaking: I used what I had, but I think I would have liked more or could have done with less.

4 slices thick-cut bacon, diced
1/2 a red onion, very thinly sliced
1 green apple, very thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 T. cider vinegar
1 T. brown sugar
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
4 oz. white cheddar cheese, sliced
Half of one recipe pizza dough (or other dough of your choice)

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.

Cook the bacon in a heavy skillet until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate; drain off all but about a tablespoon of the drippings. Add the onion and apple slices and cook over medium-high heat until soft and beginning to brown (6-8 minutes); add the garlic. Cook for several minutes more, until the garlic is very soft, and the onions and apple are well-caramelized. Sprinkle the brown sugar and cayenne pepper into the skillet; douse with the vinegar. Cook and stir for a few minutes, or until the liquid has reduced to a golden-brown syrup.

While the topping is cooking, roll out the dough onto a baking sheet, prick all over with a fork, and cook in the preheated oven for 5-7 minutes, or until it is lightly golden. Spread the crust with the apple-onion mixture, sprinkle with the reserved cooked bacon, and top with slices of cheddar cheese. Return to the oven to cook for another 5-7 minutes, or until the cheese is well-melted. Serve immediately.

Posted: Monday, September 10th, 2007 at 4:30 pm Filed under: Basic Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.