Tags

, , , , ,

I know it’s not in season, but I have been obsessed with asparagus for the past week! I found the teeniest, thinner-than-a-pencil stalks at our local Scholari’s grocery store. Usually I try to buy local produce from farmer’s market or Nature’s Touch, but I couldn’t resist these. They are just bursting with flavor – some of the best asparagus I’ve ever had.

On Monday morning (which was my Sunday this week since I worked on Saturday), I was feeling like a little something special for breakfast. I was definitely thinking about my skinny asparagus, which I had made a soup out of the night before. There was a ball of leftover pizza dough in the fridge….so pizza it was!

The Parmesan added a hint of saltiness, and the Mimolette was incredibly nutty - a perfect compliment to the fresh asparagus.

This pizza would be perfect to serve at a casual brunch. It is easy to have all the ingredients prepared ahead of time and takes just about 10 minutes to cook. Pair it with a Mimosa (heavy on the bubbles, light on the OJ) or a Bloody Mary…perfect!

How amazing is this rolling pin? My mom got it for us for Christmas this year. It is made of burled maple, and is dated back to 1940! I love it.

[See the recipe and one more photo after the jump!]

Asparagus, Egg, and Mimolette Brunch Pizza
serves 1-2 – add another egg if you’re sharing!

Ingredients:

  • Pizza dough (this recipe is my very favorite)
  • Olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • 1/4 pound asparagus
  • 1 ounce Mimolette (Paso Robles locals: it is available at Vivant Fine Cheese)
  • 1 ounce Parmesan
  • 1-2 eggs
  • Freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions:
  1. Preheat oven to 500F.
  2. If your pizza dough is coming from the fridge, let it come to room temperature.
  3. Meanwhile, using a y-peeler, “shave” the asparagus stalks into ribbons (leaving the tips intact). It is probably impossible to get the ribbons all the same thickness, but don’t worry – the different sized ribbons add lots of character to the pie.
  4. Grate your cheeses and gently mix together.*
  5. Roll out your dough into a nice, thin round and brush the surface with olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with Kosher salt.
  6. Spread cheese over crust and top with asparagus ribbons. Make a well in the asparagus and crack an egg into it.
  7. Bake for about 10 minutes until cheese is melted and egg whites are set (or close to set – the egg will continue to cook once it is removed from the oven).
  8. Crack some pepper over the top and let rest for a couple minutes…then slice and enjoy! I found it was fun to serve this pizza family style on a wooden cutting board; that way we could drag our crust through the escaped runny yolk and not miss any.

*Note: you could definitely use a nice mozzarella here, too – it would add a little moisture and make it more of a traditional pizza. The Mimolette is amazing, though, so use it in lieu of the mozz!

About these ads