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Caramelized Pear and Gorgonzola Pizza

on Feb 20 in Featured Post, Vegetarian tagged , , , , by Lauren

gorgonzolapearpizza2

Nothing goes together quite like fruit and cheese.  Apples and cheddar, grapes and brie, pear and gorgonzola . . .  This pizza has been on my mind for years.  When W and I started dating, one of our first (non)dates was to a local California Pizza Kitchen where we had their Pear and Gorgonzola Pizza.  Over the years, they’ve taken this pizza off of the menu, so we had never returned to another CPK.  So last night, during pizza night with the family, we decided to make our own attempt, and believe me when I say, I have no desire to ever go to another CPK again!  There’s just no need! 

 Ingredients:

For the pizza:

  •  1 recipe pizza dough
  • 6 oz gruyere cheese, shredded
  • 4 oz gorgonzola dolce
  • 1 firm but ripe pear, cored and thinly sliced (about 1/4-inch thick)
  • 1 sweet yellow onion, sliced thinly
  • a handful of walnuts, chopped
  • extra-virgin olive oil
  • black pepper

For the salad and Gorgonzola dressing:

  • 4 cups spring greens, washed and dried
  • 3 Tbsp seasoned rice wine vinegar
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup plain yogurt
  • 1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
  • pepper
  • chopped walnuts (optional)

 

gorgonzolapearpizza

Directions:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Make your dough according to the directions here.

Over medium heat in a small skillet, caramelize the pears in melted butter. 

Caramelize the sliced onions in butter over medium heat.

Sprinkle a little bit of cornmeal or flour on a wood cutting board so the pizza will slide off easily and onto your preheated pizza stone. Shape your dough, and let it rest for 15 minutes. Brush lightly with olive oil.

In a jar with a sealable lid, combine all of the ingredients for the dressing, screw on the top, and shake until well incorporated. 

Top dough with a small drizzle of the gorgonzola dressing, the caramelized onions, and the gruyere cheese. Arrange pear slices on top of cheese, then top with pieces of gorgonzola cheese.

Bake at 500 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes on the bottom rack of the oven or until the crust is golden and bubbly.  Sprinkle walnuts and black pepper on pizza while it is still hot.

Enjoy!

You may be interested in these recipes:

Polenta with Broiled Gorgonzola Cheese
Weston’s Proper Italian Pizza Dough
Pan-Fried Pork Chops with Gorgonzola Butter served with Braised Leeks and Prosiutto

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Comments

  1. Dawn

    Dec 23rd, 2010

    I had this pizza at CPK also in Chicago this past Nov and loved it. Can you email this receipe to me? I loved the dressing on the salad also. Do you think you nailed the receipe from the restaurant?? Is there anything you would do differently when you make it next time?

  2. LuckyCharm

    Jan 12th, 2011

    I had the pear and gorgonzola at CPK last weekend, Great flavor combo. Thanks so much for the recipe. I look forward to making it.

  3. Jaclyn

    Feb 8th, 2011

    I tried to make this for my husband, I did half bbq and the other half of the pizza was with the salad and dressing. Do you put the dressing and salad in the oven? My husband hated me for making this. He was so rude about it and got mad at me for making it for him. I enjoyed it though. Maybe I’m just married to the wrong person.

  4. Lauren

    Feb 9th, 2011

    @Dawn - Thanks for stopping by! I think the recipe for this pizza is pretty similar to the CPK pizza. In the future, I would probably bake that pizza until the crust is a bit darker.

    @LuckyCharm - Would love to know if you’ve tried this pizza yet!

    @Jaclyn - The salad should by nice, fresh and crisp, so I wouldn’t recommend topping with the salad before it goes in the oven. I’ll amend the recipe to include the salad - thanks for the heads up!

  5. Nancy

    Oct 20th, 2011

    This sounds pretty close. I’m been reading many mock recipes for this to-die-for pizza that is my absolute fave at CPK. Just one thing, why us everyone using walnuts? CPK uses toasted hazelnuts. If CPK used walnuts, I’d know because I’m allergic to them. Not sure if gruyere is the right cheese or if it’s provolone. I’ll happily experiment. I’ll just wing it on my own. I’ve had this pizza enough to know every component. I think the greens are arugula and radicchio.

  6. Stephanie

    Jan 3rd, 2012

    I think it is actually Fontina cheese they use and not gruyere, at least according to their online menu. I don’t know a lot about cheese, except that it’s delicious and so is this pizza, can’t wait to try this recipe!

  7. Ashley B

    Jan 6th, 2012

    So happy I stumbled on this recipe!! I was so craving the CPK pizza and feel like this is so yummy and such a healthier alternative (on my budget too).

  8. leon

    Nov 8th, 2012

    just called cpk, they use mozzarella cheese

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  10. Gail Lonne

    Mar 8th, 2013

    The original recipe calls for a combination of fontina and mozzarella cheese with a topping of gorgonzola. Also hazelnuts are the nuts to use. The salad dressing is ranch with gorgonza mixed in. This is my absolute favorite pizza!

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