Recipe: Fig and prosciutto flatbread

Fig and prosciutto flatbread

Total time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Servings: 8 to 12

Note: Clark Staub, of Full of Life Flatbread, writes: “At Full of Life, we do a very slow rise dough that ferments for 36 hours and has a very high water content. For this recipe, I’ve just put pizza dough on the ingredients list, as there are many very high-quality doughs available in the refrigerator sections of grocery stores. I also strongly recommend baking directly on the pizza stone. You can bake pizza in pans. However, you will not get the quick rise and crust color that you get baking directly onto a hot floor.” Goat butter can be found at select gourmet and cooking stores, as well as online. Smoked blue cheese and Grana Padano can be found at select cheese and gourmet markets. Adapted from Full of Life Flatbreads in Los Alamos.

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

1/2 onion, diced

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup butter, preferably goat butter

10 fresh brown figs, halved

Prepared pizza dough for 1 pizza

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1/4 red , thinly sliced

4 tablespoons bacon lardons

1/4 cup crumbled smoked blue cheese, such as Rogue Creamery

1/8 cup finely grated Grana Padano or Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

4 thin slices prosciutto

10 arugula leaves

4 clusters Oven-Roasted Grapes

1. Heat a 2-quart, deep, heavy-bottomed pan over medium-low heat. Add the grapeseed oil and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to wilt and soften, about 10 minutes. Continue cooking until the onion slowly begins to collapse and caramelize, stirring more frequently. Cook until the onion is almost jam-like in consistency and is a rich golden-brown, 30 to 45 minutes. Remove the caramelized onions. You will need 4 teaspoons caramelized onions for the remainder of this recipe; the rest can be used in other recipes and will keep, covered and refrigerated, up to 1 week.

2. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, simmer the balsamic vinegar until it reduces almost by half to a syrup consistency (you should have about 3 teaspoons).

3. If you have one, place a pizza stone on the center rack of the oven and heat it to the highest setting possible (500 to 550 degrees). If you are using a wood-burning oven, heat it up.

4. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat until hot and melt the butter. In a single layer and with enough room between each, quickly sear the figs, cut-side down; this may need to be done in batches. Sear quickly enough that the figs are colored but not cooked or mushy. Set the figs aside to cool.

5. Stretch out the pizza dough to your desired size, thin enough in the center but leaving a rim around the edge. (At the restaurant, they stretch a 6-ounce dough ball into a 9-inch pizza disk.)

6. Sprinkle the dough with the olive oil and minced garlic, and drizzle over the reduced balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle the red onion, lardons, caramelized onions and blue cheese over the dough. Place the fig slices around the pizza, preferably cut-side up, and sprinkle over the Grana Padano. Season with a pinch each salt and pepper, or to taste..

7. Bake the flatbread directly on the stone or in a pan, baking until the crust is risen and browned, 5 to 7 minutes, depending on the setup of the oven and its heat. Be careful not to overbake the flatbread or it will dry out.

8. Cut the flatbread as desired, and drape slices of prosciutto over, then scatter over the arugula leaves. Garnish with the roasted grape clusters.

Each of 12 servings: 175 calories; 4 grams protein; 19 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 10 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 18 mg cholesterol; 11 grams sugar; 310 mg sodium.