A Pizza Tasting for some Special Friends

My incredibly sweet, beautiful, talented, and awesome niece recently asked if I would cater a dinner for a team of her staff members. I was floored, and then flattered. To imagine that she would trust me with this was off the charts cool. We discussed the menu for a while, and I suggested a pizza tasting. I liked the idea as it would carry the conversation over a couple of hours of sampling different foods and it would pair well with our favorite beverage - wine. As I was working on the menu, I liked the concept even more as it allowed me to be more creative with the evening. I started with some homemade hummus to allow me time to hide behind the prep work.

Below is the menu for the evening. Click on the items to see the recipes. They use this basic pizza crust.

Appetizer – Homemade hummus

Served with sea salt flat bread and pita chips

Pizza 1 – Pizza Margherita

Fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil

Pizza 2 – Pizza Blanco

Roasted garlic and cambozola cheese with fresh rosemary

Pizza 3 – Spinach Chicken Alfredo

White sauce with fresh baby spinach and grilled chicken

Pizza 4 – Fancy Pig Pizza

Prosciutto & pancetta with caramelized onion

Pizza 5 – Spicy BBQ Chicken Pizza

Slightly spicy take on a traditional pie

Pizza 6 – Fresh Berry Pizza Tart

 Mascarpone Cheese with mixed berry compote

Pizza 7 – Chocolate Soup Pizza

A slightly sweet crust with a variety of chocolate toppings –

S’Mores, Almond Joy, Peanut Butter Cup, and Peanut-ty M&Ms

Homemade Hummus

Abbey LOVES hummus. After 3 attempts, she's told me that mine is "as good" as store bought. I'm taking that as a compliment.

2 garlic cloves

2 cups canned chickpeas (liquid reserved)

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste)

4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 to 1 ½ lemon)

3 tablespoons chickpea liquid (or water)

1 tablespoons EVOO

Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (2-4 dashes, if desired)

In a food processor with blending blade mince the garlic, and add the remaining ingredients and process until it has a coarse puree consistency. You may want or need to add an additional teaspoon or two of olive oil and salt to get desired consistency and flavor.

Serve immediately, or chill for later use. Serve with pita chips, warm pita slices, or warm salted flat bread.