Brie, Peach, and Prosciutto Pizza

Pizza is great because it so strongly appeals to my creative side.  There are endless possibilities and combinations of pizza toppings.  Even the crust presents all sorts of opportunities for some brainstorming and experimentation.

One of my all time favorite combinations is this one.  This fusion of salty, cheesy, sweet, and spicy is just amazing (And makes great melted brie for dipping if you don't feel like making a pizza).  Depending on how heavily you adorn your pizza with toppings, it can make either a great main dish or a nice appetizer pizza.  I used my own pizza crust recipe, which I'll post in a bit, but you can use your own favorite recipe or store-bought dough, or even some flat bread that's been crisped up a bit.

I didn't measure at all when making this, so I'm just writing in a range of amounts below.  And, like I said, you may really want to vary the amount anyway depending on your purpose for this pizza.

What you need:

Crust to make one medium pizza (10-12 inch round)

Soft Brie Cheese, rind removed and cut into small chunks (2-4 ounces)

Prosciutto, cut into small pieces (2-4 ounces

Peach or Nectarine, cut into thin slices (2 small or 1 large)

Handful of Arugula

Honey

Red Pepper Flakes

Heat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.  If using dough, roll it out as thin as possible and bake it for 5-10 minutes, depending on how crispy you want it to be in the end.  Remove from oven and top with the brie, prosciutto, peach slices, and arugula.  Lightly drizzle honey over the whole thing and sprinkle with the red pepper flakes.  Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until it has reached the desired amount of bubbly-/crispiness. 

Goat Cheese and Nectarine Filo Pastries

This would make a lovely appetizer or accompaniment to a light main dish.  I made four and served them along with my earlier post of tilapia and shrimp on top of salad.  They are decadent and delicious.  This makes four generous servings (with the salad and seafood I only had half of one.  Rob managed his with impressive swiftness).  And there are the two (and a half) leftover for another day!

What you need:

3-4 ounces goat cheese, divided into four pieces and shaped into 1/4-1/2 inch thick rounds

4 pieces thawed filo pastry

1 large nectarine, cut into thin slices

2 jalapenos, chopped into thin slices

1/3 cup mixture chopped fresh basil, mint, and sage- I used the most basil and the least sage

Salt and pepper

Spread your four pieces of filo out on a clean surface, one on top of the other (wrap the rest of package tightly and save for another use... or make more of these).  Place one round of goat cheese on the top filo piece.  Then top with three thin wedges of nectarines, a few slice of jalapeno, a sprinkle of the herbs, a pinch of salt and sprinkle of pepper.  Wrap the filo neatly around the goat cheese to create a little packet or bundle.  Place on a oil-sprayed baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining pieces.  Place any remaining nectarine or pepper slices alongside the packets and season lightly with salt.  Spray the entire pan with olive oil and bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  The filo should be browned but not burned, and the extra nectarines should be slightly softened.  Top each packet with a few nectarine and pepper slices.  Serve on top of a green salad (preferably one that includes arugula).

Enjoy!