Review: Tomato, Smoked Gouda Pizza - Aug 01

[Grace]

Allow me to be the first to review something from the August issue. I was excited to make this pizza tonight because it was one of the recipes that CL deemed the best of the whole issue (they list about 5 or 6 of the month's recipes they think are the absolute best of the bunch).

Let me just say this pizza was good, but really nothing to get excited about. I did use TJ's pizza dough rather than making the dough from the recipe, but I followed the directions to the letter otherwise, and I was very disappointed, only because I expected to be wowed. We weren't wowed. My husband gave it a 6.5, and I gave it a 6. I won't repeat, only because there are just too darned many other recipes to try than to waste time eating something mediocre again. We did eat the whole pizza ourselves, though, so by no means was this a BAD recipe.

But there are plenty of other wonderful looking recipes in the August issue, and I bought two packages of TJ's pizza crust (so there's still another one in the fridge), so I'll just have to find another pizza recipe to try out!

[Ralph]

Thanks for the review, Grace, well sort of! I always look forward to the vegetarian section since I try to cook at least one meal a week meatless. Unfortunately, this was the only entree that tickled my fancy in the August issue. Oh well - back to the search engines!

[pmmahan]

Grace -
I think Curleytop beat you to it with her review of the upside down cake! LOL :)


I can't wait to get my August issue so I check all these recipes out!! :D

[KathrynY]

Grace, I hope you don't mind my posting here but we tried this pizza last night and thought it was wonderful. I wasn't expecting it to have so much flavor since there are so few ingredients, but was pleasantly surprised.

I didn't use the CL pizza dough recipe, as we have our own tried-and-true that we love. We usually put some crushed dried rosemary in our pizza dough, which gives it a nice flavor so that may have jazzed up the recipe somewhat. I did think this pizza could benefit from a light brushing of olive oil over the crust before putting on the toppings. Otherwise, we loved it.

Just wanted to share a different review. Now, to try that Shitake Mushroom and Gorgonzola pizza.... :D

[pmmahan]

Shittake Mushroom and Gorgonzola Pizza?! Where is my August issue??

[KathrynY]

pmmahan - I'll be happy to post these recipes for you when I get home tonight. My June issue took forever to arrive so I know how frustrating it is to have to wait! :)

[pmmahan]

Thanks, Kathryn! I never get my CL early. :(

[Wendy w]

I made this on Friday night and we loved it despite the fact that the storebought crust was overdone! I happened to have some smoked gouda around as I have been wanting to make Gertdog's soup but it has been too hot for soup-I decided to make the pizza instead. Go figure.:rolleyes:

Anyway, upon finding out that I was going to make a meatless pizza, BF brought over some Canadian bacon to put on his side of the pizza. He never got around to it but enjoyed the pizza none the less. I enjoyed the unusual flavor that the gouda added and would definitely make it again.

[KathrynY]

* Exported from MasterCook *

Tomato Pizza With Garlic and Smoked Gouda

Recipe By : Cooking Light, August 2001 p. 148
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Pizzas

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1/2 recipe Pizza dough (see below)
cooking spray
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1/2 cup smoked gouda cheese -- shredded (2 ounces)
1 1/2 cups plum tomatoes -- sliced (about 4)
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic -- minced
1/2 teaspoon black pepper -- freshly ground
2 tablespoons fresh basil -- thinly sliced

1. Preheat oven to 450F.
2. Roll the dough into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured surface.
Place dough on a (12-inch) pizza pan or baking sheet coated with cooking
spray and sprinkled with cornmeal. Crimp edges of dough with fingers to
form a rim. Bake at 450F for 5 minutes.
3. Sprinkle cheese over pizza crust, leaving a 1-inch border. Arrange
tomato slices over cheese. Combine oil and garlic; sprinkle over tomato.
Sprinkle with pepper.
4. Bake at 450F for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Top with basil.
Cut into 8 wedges (serving size: 2 wedges).

Cal 291, Fat 9.3g, Protein 9.6g, Carb 42.4g, Fiber 2.5g, Chol 13mg, Iron
2.9mg, Sodium 382mg, Calc 119mg.

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Shiitake Mushroom and Gorgonzola Pizza

Recipe By : Cooking Light, August 2001 p. 148
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Pizzas

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1/2 recipe Pizza dough (see below)
cooking spray
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups button mushrooms -- thinly sliced
1 1/3 cups shiitake mushrooms -- thinly sliced
1 cup red onion -- vertically sliced
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons low-fat sour cream
1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese -- crumbled (3 ounces)

1. Preheat oven to 450F.
2. Roll the dough into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured surface.
Place dough on a (12-inch) pizza pan or baking sheet coated with cooking
spray and sprinkled with cornmeal. Crimp edges of dough with fingers to
form a rim.
3. Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add
mushrooms and onion; saute for 5 minutes. Cover, reduce heat to
medium-low, and cook for 3 minutes or until the on ion is very tender.
Stir in the salt and pepper.
4. Spread the sour cream over pizza crust, leaving a 1-inch border. Top
with mushroom mixture; sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 450F for 15 minutes
or until lightly browned. Cut into 8 wedges. Yield: 4 servings (serving
size: 2 wedges).

Cal 296; Fat 8.7g; Protein 10.3g; Carb 44.4g; Fiber 2.7g; Chol 16mg; Iron
3.1mg; Sodium 382mg; Calc 118mg.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Pizza Dough

Recipe By : Cooking Light, August 2001 p. 146
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Pizzas

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 teaspoon sugar
1 package dry yeast -- (appx. 2 1/4 teasp.)
1 1/4 cups warm water -- 100F to 110F
3 cups all-purpose flour -- divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
cooking spray

1. Dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5
minutes. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a
knife. Add 2 3/4 cups flour, oil and salt to yeast mixture; stir until
blended. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth
and elastic (about 10 minutes); add enough of the remaining flour, 1
tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough
will feel tacky).

2. Place the dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning
to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85F), free from
drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size. (Press two fingers into the
dough. If indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.) Punch dough
down; cover and let rest for 5 minutes. Divide dough in half. Shape
dough acording to recipe directions. Yield: 2 (12-inch) crusts.

Cal 761; Fat 8.8g; Protein 20.7g; Carb 146.5g; Fiber 5.8g; Chol 0mg;
Iron 9.3mg; Sodium 1,179mg; Calc 32mg.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[munchies]

mmm...this pizza sounds good. But I haven't received my Aug issue yet! :(

I'd love to hear more reviews of this, so keep them coming, since we have differing opinions (which is always nice to hear)

[heatherfeather]

Well, I just had this pizza for supper and thought it was delicious! I used the crust recipe in the August issue. I think the key ingredients were the fresh tomatoes and the fresh sliced basil. I thought it tasted like something from a very expensive restaurant.

[pmmahan]

Kathryn- Thanks for the recipes! I am definitely going to try the Shittake Gorgonzola Pizza this week - I bought LOTS of mushrooms at our BJ's Wholesale over the weekend.

They both look so yummy, makes me want my August issue even more!

[Peggy]

I'm afraid I am with Grace on this one. It was OK, but nothing exciting. I didn't like the fact that the gouda cheese didn't really melt, it just kind of softened. I liked the recipe, I just like others better. For instance, I loved the Fresh Tomato-Basil Pizza in the July issue. I'm going to try the Leek, Ricotta and Walnut Pizza this week and see how that one is.

Peggy

[heatherfeather]

Really? My smoked gouda melted completely. I wonder if using the pizza stone was part of the tirck. Did those of you who didn't like the pizza use a pizza pan or a stone?

[emilycat]

I feel compelled to point out that CL's testers do work out of Birmingham, after all -- the tomatoes down here are fabulous, and I think that may have a huge effect on the result of the pizza. With a recipe so simple, using tomatoes with loads of flavor will contribute more than anything else to the dish, and that may be why they loved it so much.
Or, this could just be another case of differing tastes. :p

[heatherfeather]

Oh - yes, the fresh tomatoes and the fresh basil were definietly key ingredients. I can't imagine this tasting half as good without good tomatoes & fresh basil. Just typing about this recipe makes my mouth water - I thought the pizza was just delicious.

[KValley]

DH and I loved this pizza. Out of the four, which I made all for one meal, this and the Olive and Potato were our favorites. I did not use a pizza stone and the gouda melted just fine. Heatherfeather (I love writing that- it just flows across the keyboard :)) I agree, it tasted like something from a chi chi fusion restaurant- they all did, actually, but this was the most satisfying to our taste buds. And I agree with all- you've got to have stellar tomatoes!

[RunnerKim]

Peggy,

I too have had problems with Gouda not melting - I use it on a BBQ Chicken Pizza. I think I've had the problem both when grilling and using a stone. Both are done at very hot temperatures (450-500).

I made the Leek, Ricotta and Walnut pizza on Friday. It was good - nice variety. However, we recently made a Leek, Wild Mushroom (we used Shiitake) and Brie pizza that we really liked and preferred to this one.

Kim

[gertdog]

Just wanted to add my review. We made this on a pizza stone. Our tomatoes were stellar, basil was fresh from the garden. I used lots of garlic, and brushed the crust with olive oil before assembling the pizza (thanks for that suggestion, Kathryn!).

We thought the flavors were great, but we had that problem with the gouda not melting completely, so I had some texture issues with this pizza. I like nice melty cheese, not still-distinguishable pieces of grated cheese!

Again, the flavor was good, I just wish the cheese had melted. I think if I try this combination again, I might mix shredded smoked gouda with some mozzerella or fontina. I really do like the smoky flavor combined with the tomatoes and basil!

[emilycat]

Just wanted to add my praise for this recipe; I absolutely loved it.
The combination of garden tomatoes with the smoky flavor of the Gouda was simply heavenly, and the garlic gave enough kick for my taste. Rather than mixing the olive oil with garlic, I sprinkled the garlic on the pizza and drizzled some really good extra-virgin stuff over the top. In addition, I didn't like the idea of layering the tomatoes over the cheese, so I reversed it.
I also used RunnerKim's whole wheat pizza dough (which I've successfully whittled down to 2 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup of white); it's so, so, good, and I think makes a world of difference in homemade pizza.