Smoked Salmon Pizza with Mascarpone and Capers
- 1 recipe Basic Pizza Dough, at room temperature
- Flour for rolling out the dough
- Cornmeal for dusting
- 4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¾ to 1 pound mascarpone (1½ to 2 cups)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound thinly sliced smoked salmon
- 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
- 4 lemon wedges
Instructions:
Mascarpone is the gourmand’s cream cheese and a great partner for smoked salmon. Think of this as the most heavenly lox and cream cheese you’ve ever eaten.
- Place a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 500°F.
- Cut the pizza dough into 4 equal pieces and roll into balls. Drape with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes.
- Using plenty of flour, roll a dough ball into a circle about 8 inches in diameter. Push the crust together to thicken it slightly around the edge for a rim. Or, if you want to use your hands instead of a rolling pin, first press the ball flat with your palm. Starting at the center of the disk, use your fingertips to stretch the dough, working outward; try to maintain an even thickness as you work. Leave the dough a little thicker around the edge to form a rim.
- Transfer the circle to a peel or a sheet pan sprinkled with cornmeal. Dimple the dough with your fingertips so it doesn’t puff up during baking. Brush 1 teaspoon olive oil over the dough or rub it on with your fingertips.
- Slide the pizza onto the pizza stone and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown. While the first crust is baking, roll out the second and brush with oil.
- Remove the crust from the oven with the peel, or slide it onto a sheet pan, and keep warm, uncovered, on top of the oven. Place the next circle of dough in the oven. Start working on the third ball of dough, and repeat the process until you’ve finished all 4 crusts. Don’t stack or cover the finished crusts—they’ll get soggy.
- Spread each warm crust with one-quarter of the mascarpone, leaving a ½-inch border. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange one-quarter of the salmon on top of each pizza and then sprinkle with the capers, chives, and additional pepper. Garnish each pizza with a lemon wedge, and serve.