If you haven’t had the chance to try burrata, I would be honored if this recipe became the first occasion. Burrata is a semisoft, white Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream. It is like the silkiest, creamiest fresh mozzarella, with a rich molten cream filling as a bonus.
And here it is paired with another Italian culinary triumph, prosciutto. Prosciutto is a ham made from selected legs of pork, slow cured with sea salt. The end product is sweet and delicious, with a wonderful texture. Prosciutto aged for 12 months will be less expensive and have a more delicate flavor and softer texture, while more aged prosciuttos will be denser and deeper in taste.
This pizza is made without tomato sauce, which allows the flavor of the burrata and the cured ham to shine, punctuated by the herby oregano. The prosciutto isn’t cooked, but rather just draped over the finished pizza, where it is gently warmed, preserving its texture and singular flavor.
You can use any store-bought pizza dough. If you can find the super-convenient type that is rolled up in a tube in the dairy aisle, it will save you some stretching and pulling, which can be fun but takes a bit longer.
BURRATA AND PROSCIUTTO PIZZA
Serves 2
1 tablespoon cornmeal
9 ounces pizza dough, at room temperature
Olive oil as needed
8 ounces burrata
4 slices paper thin slices prosciutto
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat the oven to 425 F.
Sprinkle the cornmeal on a flat cutting board or a pizza peel if you have one, and stretch and pat the dough into a circle about 8 inches in diameter. Let it sit for several minutes, then stretch it a bit further, into a 10-inch circle.
Allow it to rest between gentle pulls until it holds its shape and remains about 1/3-inch thick. Brush the top lightly with olive oil.
Remove the hot baking sheet from the oven and swiftly slide the pizza dough onto the baking sheet. Bake the dough for about 10 minutes until it is fairly firm and lightly browned, but not cooked through.
Remove the pizza from the oven. Tear the burrata into small pieces and distribute them over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Return to the oven and bake until the dough is cooked through and the burrata is melted, about five more minutes.
Remove from the oven, then drape the slices of prosciutto over the top of the pizza, allowing the burrata to peek through. Sprinkle the oregano leaves over the top, and season with salt and a nice grind of black pepper to finish. Cut in wedges to serve.
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