Caramelized Onions & Goat Cheese Pizza

The star of this pizza is the caramelized onions.

I mean, seriously. Does it get any better than caramelized onions?! Think French onion soup, on hamburgers, in quiche ... Yep, and on pizza.

There's a misconception that high heat is needed to make caramelized onions. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you try to caramelize onions on high heat, you'll just get charred onions because the onion's natural sugar comes out and turns brown very quickly in the skillet. There's nothing wrong with charred onions, to be sure, but when you think that you are going to put those onions on a pizza that will be further cooked ... and charred ... then you have to consider that a bit of restraint in the caramelizing process will serve you well.

Instead of high heat, put the skillet over medium heat and put a bit of butter in it along with some oil. The oil helps to keep the butter from burning. Then pile the onion slices in.

If you have your grandmother's cast iron skillet, caramelizing onions is one of the best ways to keep her memory (and skillet!) alive and well.

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If you keep the heat even around medium (maybe between medium and medium high ... you'll have to gauge your own stove!), then you'll get these creamy, golden, caramelized onions that are so perfect. Be sure to season well with salt and pepper and stir occasionally.

We've got the onions caramelized. Now let's talk crust.

I'm not providing a crust recipe in this post. I know those of you who want all the stuff in one post won't be happy. However, I know that my audience runs the gamut from gluten-free to yeast doughs to sourdough. They run from thick crust to Neapolitan style. Some of you prefer buying premade dough or prebaked crusts.

All of the above is fine! You do you!

In my kitchen, I make a Neapolitan style sourdough crust. The thinner, the better! Because that often translates to crispier and that's my jam. Just follow the instructions for your favorite crust and you'll have success.

NOW ... can we just build that Caramelized Onion & Goat Cheese Pizza already!

You betcha! I roll out the dough on parchment paper using my hands and moving it in a circular motion. I leave a little bit of a lip on the edges because I love the way it crisps up. In my opinion, that crust dipped in olive oil and vinegar is the best way to end a pizza slice!

After I shape the dough, I put a drizzle of olive oil and rub it around. Then I spread the caramelized onions on top.

The photo below shows Brie instead of goat cheese because that's what I had once when I was making this pizza and it just shows that you can use what you have on hand. Try Gorgonzola!!

Anyway, the next step is to drizzle honey. Yep, honey. Doesn't take a lot ... maybe a teaspoon or two. The first dollop will probably fall pretty heavy into a clump, but the rest will drizzle delicately around the pizza. The person who gets the "clump" on their piece will be supremely surprised and happy.

Top it with fresh thyme leaves and freshly grated Parmiggiano-Reggiano.

How long does it take to bake a pizza?

Cooking times are going to vary based on several factors.

• Most of you will be baking in a home oven and you'll want the highest temperature you can set it at. Most ovens will only go as high as 500 and that's the minimum for pizza. I mean, absolute minimum!
• If you have a pizza oven, you are golden! In that case, it will only take 2 minutes tops!
• Another factor to consider is how thick your crust is and also how many toppings you've put on the pizza. The thicker the crust and the more toppings means longer cook times.

Here's how I make pizza in my home kitchen

As much as I would love an outdoor wood-fired oven (or even one in my kitchen!), I don't have one. I just have my oven that only reaches 550F on broil. When you consider that pizzerias have ovens that reach 900F, I can only achieve half that temperature in my home oven. However, that doesn't mean that we can't enjoy delicious pizza at home!

SO ...

I heat my fabulous (KitchenAid) oven to 500F for 45 minutes to an hour before I plan to bake the pizzas. I want to be sure it's good and solidly hot before I open it to put in a pizza. I also keep a clay stone in the bottom of my oven so that the heat stays more evenly distributed. And I have a separate clay stone on the rack where I bake the pizza. I slide the pizza right on to this one to bake. Both clay stones heat up in the oven while I prepare the pizzas to bake.

I bake mine at 500 for 10 minutes, then hit the Broil function for another 2-4 minutes until the crust is golden and the toppings and cheese are begging for mercy.

Finish the Caramelized Onion & Goat Cheese Pizza

To finish this beauty, drizzle it with syrupy balsamic vinegar, then top it with shreds of prosciutto. Oh baby.

Dig in!

Recipe