Roasted Pear and Caramelized Onion Pizza with a Cauliflower Crust (Gluten Free, Grain Free)
Roasted Pear and Caramelized Onion Pizza with a Cauliflower Crust (Cauliflower Crust adapted slightly from Kitchen Apparel)
- 1 large head of cauliflower, coarsely chopped (creates about 4 cups of cauliflower “rice”)
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup (250 mL) almond meal (possibly more)
- 1 tsp (5 mL) garlic powder
- 1 tsp (5 mL) onion powder
- Sea salt and cracked black pepper
- 1 cup (250 mL) ricotta cheese
- 2 large yellow onions, peeled and chopped
- 4 starcrimson pear (or variety of choice), skin-on sliced
- Bundle of fresh thyme
- 1 Tbsp (15 mL) honey
- 1 Tbsp (15 mL) balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp (15 mL) pignons (pine nuts)
- 2 tsp (10 mL) brown sugar
- Sea salt and cracked black pepper
Makes 1 Large or 2 Medium Sized Pizzas (12 slices)
Nutrition & Cooking Notes:
- The toppings are merely suggestions that happen to float my boat but naturally, you can work with any toppings of choice here.
- I opted for a lighter soft cheese in this recipe (we are all fans of ricotta here) but a blue cheese would also be smashing with the roasted pear and caramelized onion.
- Don’t underestimate the nutrition value of onions! Far from being inert, onions are part of the allium family of disease-fighting phytochemicals that have been shown to have a positive effect on cholesterol levels as well as guarding against certain forms of cancer including colon and prostate.
- Cauliflower is also a nutrition star. Replete with vitamins, minerals and fibre, it is perhaps best known for its high concentration of cancer-fighting chemicals called glucosinolates which are broken down into bioactive compounds known as isothiocyanates and indole-3-carbinol. Scientists are learning that these compounds help destroy cancer-causing substances by regulating our body’s detoxification enzymes.
Directions:
- Leaving the skin intact, slice the pears into relatively thin wedges.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread fresh thyme sprigs all around the surface. Place pear slices on top of the thyme leaves and drizzle with honey. Place the tray in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Remove tray from oven and flip or shake the pear slices. Drizzle with 1/4 cup water or so and return tray to oven for another 10-15 or until pears have soften and are beginning to brown. Remove from oven and set aside.
- Meanwhile, place chopped cauliflower in food processor, sprinkle with salt and pepper and pulse until it resembles a rice consistency.
- Transfer cauliflower rice to a large bowl and add almond meal, eggs, garlic powder and onion powder.
- Using your hands, mix all ingredients together until it begins to stick and can be shaped into a ball (or two balls for two pizzas).
- If the cauliflower balls are too wet, add a little bit more almond meal. The texture will never be dry like a conventional flour dough but you don’t want it to be dripping wet either. A little moisture is fine and will not prevent the crust from firming up in the oven.
- You can use a baking sheet for a rectangular shaped pizza or a pizza pan (I made two medium sized circular shaped pizzas). Line the pizza pan (or baking sheet) with parchment paper. Transfer the cauliflower ball onto the center of the paper and using your hands, shape into a pizza crust of about 1/3 inch thickness. (The thinner the crust, the quicker it will crisp up and brown — you can experiment with your preferences here).
- Bake the cauliflower pizza crust in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the sides are beginning to brown. Remove from oven.
- Meanwhile, place onions in a large skillet set to medium-low heat with a dollop of butter or coconut oil. Allow onions to cook until they become translucent (about 6 minutes). Add salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar, mixing to combine. Allow onions to continue cooking on medium low for another 10 minutes or so. Add brown sugar and allow onions to cook for a final 10 minutes until they take on a deep, rich brown colour.
- At this point, you can either keep the pears separate from the onion (for contrasting colours and texture) or you can toss them into the onion pan and mix them around which is what I did.
- Using the cooked pizza crust, spread a cup of ricotta over the the entire crust and top with caramelized onion, roasted pear and a sprinkle of pine nuts. You can add some of the thyme sprigs if you wish from the roasting sheet. If you are making two pizzas, simply divide the toppings.
- Bake the pizza again for another 5-10 minutes, remove from oven and allow it to cool slightly before slicing and enjoying.