Puff Pastry Pizza with Prosciutto

This recipe comes from a new friend named Katie and has travelled all the way across the Atlantic Ocean to meet you. Katie’s blog, Thyme for Cooking has been entertaining foodies since 2006, and is not only full of stories about Katie’s life and cooking overseas, but also boasts a sister site with an extensive section of kitchen tips I go to regularly, sometimes out of necessity, sometimes just to learn a new kitchen factoid and tuck away for future use.

If you ever need guidance on soup bases, how to pit an avocado, freeze an egg, or store a pumpkin, you couldn’t do better than starting with Katie!

And then there’s her puff pastry pizza with prosciutto.

Using puff pastry as a crust is a genius idea! Well, to me it is, anyway. Is this kind of thing common knowledge among pizza fans? Have I just been in the dark all this time? If you’re dying to get away from store bought crusts (as I am), but have yet to manage the finer points of yeast and leavening (me, again), here’s a perfect solution.

This crust will come out light and flaky; wholly satisfying, but not to the point where MG and I ended up forced to digest in “pizza zombie mode” on the couch for a good hour afterwards. And aside from some minimal slicing and cutting, the prep was next to nothing. There’s not even the necessity of opening a can of diced tomatoes.

One word of caution: a light crust is a fragile crust. Be sure not to load up with a lot of ingredients or the second you pick up a slice you’ll trigger a major topping-slide right into your lap.

And if you like the looks of this meal, there’s plenty more over at Thyme for Cooking , so be sure to check it out and give Katie a “how do!” You’ll more than likely get a “Salut!” from Katie in return.
Puff Pastry Pizza with Prosciutto from Thyme for Cooking

• 1 package (17.3 ounces/2 sheets) puff pastry, defrosted (Ionly used one sheet)
• 2 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
• 4-5 thin slices Prosciutto
• 1/2 white small onion, minced
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• cornmeal

Roll out the pastry and lay it on a well-floured baking sheet, cutting board or other flat surface.  Place a round pizza pan or a large pan lid on top of the pastry and use as a guide to cut out a circle.

Using a sharp paring knife, score a 1/3-inch-wide border around the crust. Prick the pastry inside the score lines with the tines of a fork.  With both of these techniques, you don’t want to penetrate all the way through.

Sprinkle some cornmeal on your pan and place the crust on top.

Slice tomatoes as thinly as possible (8 – 10 slices per tomato). Tear Prosciutto into small pieces. Arrange the tomatoes on top the crust, then the Prosciutto, then the onion, cheese and the herbs.

Bake in a preheated oven, 400F for 20 – 25 minutes, or until crust and top are golden brown.

Tags: cheese, onion, pizza, prosciutto, puff pastry, tomato