Add A Burst Of Sweetness To Your Pizza With Nectarines

One of the best parts about having a make-your-own pizza night at home is the opportunity to experiment with unique ingredients you typically wouldn't be able to add at your typical pizza joint. Tasting Table recipe developer Taylor Murray uses fresh, juicy nectarines in her Sweet and Savory Italian Salad Pizza for a unique burst of sweetness and tartness. This salad pizza is a welcomed contrast to the typical pizza experience.

"Unlike the typical heavy toppings that weigh down most pizzas, the light and refreshing salad topping offers a delightful contrast in textures and flavors," explains Murray.

Nectarines are added to the pizza after cooking to preserve the firm and luscious texture of the fruit. The fruit complements the savory ricotta and peppery arugula without dominating the pizza, plus the unique texture of nectarines offers a new mouth feel when compared to traditional pizza. Murray notes that if you don't have nectarines you can opt for a similar fruit such as peaches. Just keep that fleshy, juicy quality you see in the nectarine.

One of the best parts about Murray's Italian-inspired recipe is that it can serve as a wonderful base to customize and add your toppings of choice. Stone fruits such as nectarines are naturally sweet with a hint of tartness. They have a fresh, lightly floral flavor to them. When thinking of other ingredients you can include on your pizza to pair with them, you can go in two directions. You can try and find flavors that directly complement the nectarines and have a similar flavor family, or you can look for ingredients that balance the nectarine flavor by introducing contrasting flavors or textures.

If you want to bring out that sweetness and floral notes of the fruit consider using Italian herbs like basil, oregano, or rosemary. These also have a light amount of sweetness to them and can pronounce more of the earthy, floral flavors of the fruit. You can either use whole leaves of these herbs or chop them up fine. If you're concerned about the apricot being too sweet for the pizza, you may consider using other Italian toppings such as olives or mozzarella.

You also add almonds as they contrast with nectarines both flavor-wise and texturally. They bring a nice crunch and a salty flavor to cut through some of that nectarine flavor. Meanwhile, lemon zest is another great add-on that will enhance the other ingredients present with its citric flavor and cut through the sweetness of nectarines due to its natural bitterness.