Nectarine, Basil, and Chèvre Pizza with Balsamic Reduction

The moment I saw a picture for this pizza on Pinterest, I knew I would love it.  Why you ask?  How much time do you have?

1.  I heart am obsessed with balsamic.  See how much here.

2.  I also am obsessed with chèvre – or goat cheese for those of us who are less-refined.  And yes, I’m lumping myself in that category.  I only write chèvre for the purpose of this blog.  I am not classy enough to actually call it that.

3.  The combination of chèvre and fruit tastes downright sinful.

4.  Basil is my newest addiction.  My lovely sister-in-law recently got me hooked on adding piles of torn basil to salads. Yummy!

5.  What’s not to love about pizza?

Hubby is on another boys-only fly-in fishing trip up North.  He went on one last year (you can read about my adventures last time here and here).  And so I make all the best food while he’s gone.

KIDDING.

When I showed him this recipe and told him I was thinking of making it, he said it looks “weird”.  That was his reaction.  So I thought, “Fine.  I’ll make it for myself and get to enjoy it without having to share.”  Which is exactly what I did.

I used a fig chèvre, but feel free to switch up the cheese.  Not a huge goat cheese fan?  No problem – try ricotta, blue cheese, or Boursin.  Whatever floats your boat. ;)  I guarantee it will still be delicious.

Recipe lightly adapted from alexandra’s kitchen.

Print Recipe

Nectarine, Basil, and Chèvre Pizza with Balsamic Reduction

Servings: 4 servings

Author: The Gourmet Housewife

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 recipe Jamie Oliver's pizza dough: http://www.gourmethousewife.com/2011/09/jamie-olivers-pizza-dough/
• olive oil for greasing
• 1/2 cup approx. chèvre (or fresh ricotta, buffalo mozzarella, Boursin, mascarpone - whatever you like)
• 1 nectarine thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup shaved fresh Parmesan
• fresh basil approx. 20 leaves

Instructions

• Place balsamic in a small pot on medium-high. Let simmer until reduced and noticeably thick. Remove from heat and let cool. Sauce will continue to thicken as it sits.
• Preheat oven to 500°F. Grease a pizza pan with olive oil or dust with cornmeal.
• On a floured surface, roll out your dough. Transfer to prepared pan.
• Rub dough with enough olive oil to coat the surface evenly.
• Crumble/spread chèvre over dough. Top with nectarines and Parmesan.
• Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until the crust is slightly brown and the cheese is melting.
• Remove from the oven and sprinkle with fresh basil. Drizzle with the reduced balsamic. Slice and serve warm.