Monday, July 29, 2013

....is a Cajun Pizza


I recently purchased Real Cajun: Rustic Home Cooking from Donald Link's Louisiana as a gift for CPB, he's been eying it for some time now. Even before we went to Donald Link's new restaurant Peche. We were in New Orleans, and sat at the Oyster Bar & met him without even knowing it!

I'm so very glad I got this book though, CPB's used it to make four things in about three weeks (Donnies Spice Mix, Braised Sausage with Chiles & Sunday-Night Fried Chicken and he made the Fried Chicken into a wonderful Sandwich). And I have been the lucky benefactor of all the deliciousness. The pie crust intimidated him, so I helped out a little more with this recipe. The Pie-Crust-Crust on this  Pizza has a nice crunch to it and it held up well even with the wetter layers of Tomato & Cheese filling. But can you really go wrong with any Bacon topped Pizza?
Pie Crust 
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons lard or vegetable shortening
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons ice water

Using a fork or your fingers, cut the butter, lard, and salt into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse pebbles. Make a well in the middle of the mixture and add water. Knead for about 30 seconds until dough comes together. Roll the dough out on a floured surface until it's 1/4-inch thick and shape into a rustic free-form circle or gently drape it into a buttered pie pan and trim as necessary. Refrigerate the crust until needed.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using a fork, prick the bottom of the pie in several places and bake for 25 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Note: Pie crusts generally will bake more evenly when they are cold, so place the crust in the freezer for about 20 minutes before baking.

Cajun Pizza
12 ounces sliced bacon
2 ripe medium tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 (9-inch) prebaked Pie Crust (recipe follows), cooked
Salt and pepper
1/2 small onion, thinly sliced
5 ounces Cheddar or pepper jack cheese, grated

Cook the bacon in a skillet until crisp and set aside to cool on paper towels or a brown paper bag. (Twelve ounces is probably a little more than you will need, but somehow a few extra pieces always get eaten.)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place a layer of tomato slices on the bottom of the crust and season lightly with salt and pepper. Top with a layer of onion slices and cheese. Repeat this process two more times.

Crumble the cooked bacon over the top layer of onion and cheese and bake for about 25 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the tomatoes have released some of their moisture. Place the pie on a wire rack and allow it to cool completely.

Happy Cooking (& Baking)!

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