Pear Gorgonzola Pickled Walnut Pizzettes (Print version)

Sweet pears, creamy Gorgonzola, and tangy pickled walnuts on crisp golden dough. Sophisticated Italian appetizer.

# What You Need:

→ Dough

01 - 8.8 oz pizza dough, store-bought or homemade

→ Toppings

02 - 1 large ripe pear, thinly sliced
03 - 3.5 oz Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
04 - 6 pickled walnuts, thinly sliced
05 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
06 - 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
07 - Freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ To Serve

08 - 1 tablespoon honey, optional for drizzling
09 - Fresh arugula leaves, optional

# How To Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 425°F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
02 - Roll out pizza dough to approximately 0.2 inches thickness. Using a 2.75-inch round cutter, cut out 12 circles and arrange on the prepared baking tray.
03 - Lightly brush each dough circle with olive oil using a pastry brush.
04 - Distribute pear slices evenly across each pizzette base, top with crumbled Gorgonzola and sliced pickled walnuts. Sprinkle fresh thyme and black pepper over each piece.
05 - Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the edges turn golden and crisp and the cheese begins to bubble.
06 - Remove from oven. Drizzle with honey and garnish with fresh arugula leaves if desired. Serve while still warm.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • They look like you spent hours but come together faster than most people can finish their first glass of wine
  • The sweet, salty, tangy balance hits every craving at once without feeling heavy
  • You can prep the rounds ahead and assemble them right before guests arrive
  • Even people who claim they dont like blue cheese ask for seconds
02 -
  • Dont skip the parchment paper, I once tried using a bare tray and spent twenty minutes scraping cheese off metal
  • If your pear is underripe it wont soften enough in the oven, if its overripe it turns to mush, so test it with a gentle squeeze first
  • Pickled walnuts are intensely flavored, a little goes a long way so slice them thin or theyll dominate
03 -
  • If you cant find pickled walnuts, toast regular walnuts and toss them in a splash of balsamic vinegar and a pinch of sugar for a quick substitute
  • Let the pizzettes cool for just a minute before serving, the cheese stays molten and can burn tongues straight out of the oven
  • Use a pizza stone if you have one, it makes the bottoms even crispier and gives you that wood-fired texture
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