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Jalapeno Popper pizza

March 22nd, 2012

If you can’t tell, I fixate. I think something is good, and then I have to make it a million different ways so I can make sure that I have fully appreciated all of the possibilities and flavor combinations.

I fixated with donuts. I fixated with Guinness. Now I’m having an issue with Pizza flavors. I hope you love pizza too?

When I got home this morning, uh, slightly dazed from flying 6,000 miles, filming for two different shows in two different cities in New Jersey in 48 hours, I was hungry. Like, ravenous.

I am not sure what possessed turn jalapeno poppers into a pizza. I’m guessing sleep deprivation.

The jalapeno’s are still spicy, but the combination of the cream cheese and the crust helps to cut the burn! And the bacon is so good because, well, it’s bacon.

This would be fun to put in place of your traditional jalapeno poppers next time you are watching a game or hanging out with friends. If it wasn’t the middle of the day, and if I didn’t have two little kids to watch after, and if I wasn’t so tired I would have been dead to the world after two sips, then this would have gone down nicely with an icy cold beer!

Jalapeno Popper Pizza, serves 6

1 ball pizza dough
¼ cup semolina
Olive Oil

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 large jalapeno, thinly sliced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
3 slices bacon, cooked to crispy

1) Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. If you have a pizza atone, put it on the bottom of the oven. Prepare a sheet pan with a brushing of olive oil.

2) Sprinkle the semolina on the counter top, and put the dough down on top of the semolina.

3) Use the semolina to keep the dough from sticking, and roll it out until it is very thin and round.

4) Transfer the pizza dough to the oiled sheet pan. Brush the pizza dough with a thin layer of olive oil.

5) Place the pizza dough on the sheet pan in the oven. I lay the sheet pan on the pizza stone.

6) I par-bake the pizza crust for about 5-7 minutes until golden and crispy.

7) Try to spread the cream cheese evenly over the pizza crust.

8) In a small dish, combine the jalapeno and shallot with the tsp of olive oil.

9) Sprinkle the jalapenos, shallot and bacon over the cream cheese.

10) Put the pizza in the oven and bake another 5 minutes until the cream cheese is hot and golden and the jalapenos and shallots are softened and golden.

11) Slice and serve hot!