Alpine Pizza

Why Alpine? The flavors of bacon, onion and Swiss cheese make me think of Switzerland or Alsace-Lorraine. You can make this vegetarian by omitting the bacon and sautéing the vegetables in olive oil.

Ingredients:

4 slices of bacon

1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced

¾ cup milk

½ cup shredded Swiss cheese

¼ cup shredded Gouda or Gruyere cheese

¼ cup grated or shredded parmesan

2 teaspoons corn starch

½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

1 (16 oz) package of fresh pizza dough or your favorite pizza crust

Directions: In a large skillet, cook bacon slices on medium heat until cooked through, but not crisp-about 10-15 minutes (the bacon will cook more on top of the pizza).  Remove the bacon to a paper towel, and keep about 1 Tablespoon of the bacon fat in the pan. Toss in the onions, mushrooms and spinach. Cook over medium until all the vegetables are softened. Remove from heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat the milk on medium until bubbles start to form around the edges. Mix the cheeses together in a small bowl or on a sheet of waxed paper. Toss the cornstarch and the cheeses together. Add the cheeses one handful at a time to the milk, stirring to combine. Add the nutmeg and salt and bring to a boil, whisking constantly until the cheeses melt and the sauce holds together, about 3 minutes.  Reduce heat to low/simmer and whisk occasionally until you are ready to use it. It’s perfectly fine if the sauce is a little lumpy.  

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place a pizza pan or pizza stone in the oven to heat (Mine is 14 inches across). Roll out the dough on a floured surface. Remove the pan from the oven and lay on the pizza crust. Cover with cheese sauce, but not to the very edges or it will drip into the bottom of your oven—trust me. Scatter on the sautéed veggies. Top with bacon (torn into 1 inch pieces) and bake for about 15-18 minutes until the pizza is lightly browned at the edges and the center is all bubbly and gooey.

Notes: If you don’t use all the cheese sauce, save it-it is great with toasted bread. Also, if you don’t feel like making a cheese sauce, just scatter the cheeses, mixed with the nutmeg and salt (omitting the cornstarch and milk) right on the pizza dough.