IMG_2871I get cranky just thinking about turning on the oven. But someone’s gotta make dinner and, truth be told, the promise of a good meal at twilight is the best thing to get me through the day.

So Baby and I push out onto Bleecker Street–her apple cheeks immediately flaming crimson– and we brainstorm what foods would make us happiest.

  • We love savory.
  • We love lightly smoked salmon.
  • We love pizza! (And it’s understood that Jamie will just be happy to have something for dinner…)

I know that Jamie wrote an amazingly easy pizza crust recipe for the cookbook. While it does require a hot oven, the cook time’s only about 8-10 minutes. I can pour myself a glass of un-oaked Chardonnay, stand in the kitchen and take the heat…

salmon pizza

Smoked Salmon Pizza with Sour Cream (the poor man’s creme fraiche), Capers and Red Onion

Makes 2 8-10 inch round  pizzas
Print
Smoked Salmon Pizza
Author: 
Recipe type: pizza
 
Ingredients
  • 1¼ cups water, lukewarm (@100˚)
  • 1 packet (2½ teaspoons) dry active yeast
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2½ cups all purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • *******
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • pinch kosher salt
  • fresh ground pepper
  • 2 shallots, thinly sliced
  • ¼ lb smoked salmon, sliced paper thin
  • 2 teaspoons capers, chopped
Instructions
  1. Combine the water and yeast in a small bowl and whisk to dissolve. In a separate bowl, stir together the salt, flours and olive oil, to mix well. When the yeast mixture begins to foam, after 7-10 minutes, stir it into the flour. Mix with a wooden spoon until just combined. The mixture should pull into a smooth ball. Transfer the dough to a clean bowl that has been lightly greased with olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and set aside for 45 minutes or, for best results, refrigerate overnight.
  2. Remove the dough from the bowl to a floured work surface. “Punch the dough down” by pressing the air out of it with floured hands. Gently knead for the dough and divide it into two pieces. Roll the two pieces of dough into a ball under the palm of your hand. Then roll into a flat disc with a rolling pin. Finish stretching the dough by hand. The pizzas are now ready to top.
  3. *******
  4. Place the sour cream in small strainer lined with a coffee set over a bowl. Drain 20 minutes. Remove the sour cream from the strainer, stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice, a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper.
  5. Preheat oven to 500˚
  6. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil rub with olive oil or spray with nonstick spray. Place a stretched pizza dough in the center of each pan. Drizzle each dough with one tablespoon of olive oil and spread evenly over the surface with your fingers. Scatter the sliced shallots on the pizza and season with salt and pepper. Bake in the heated oven until the edges are golden brown, about 7 minutes.
  7. Remove the baked dough from the oven and cool slightly before spreading a generous layer of sour cream over the dough. Arrange the slices of salmon on top and scatter the capers. Slice and serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
  8. (Excerpted from "Just Married and Cooking," Scribner, May 2011)