Strawberry And Tomato Fruit Pizza Recipe

Pizza tends to be a crowd-pleaser, and though it's easy enough to grab a slice or order a pie, making pizza at home lets you get creative with the toppings and make use of ripe seasonal ingredients to create something really special. One such pie is Tasting Table recipe developer Tess Le Moing's strawberry and tomato fruit pizza, which satisfies with its simultaneously sweet and savory palate. Le Moing tells us, "Strawberries and tomatoes may sound like an unusual pairing, but they're often in season at the same time, making them a good combo. Tomatoes are technically a fruit and can get pretty sweet when cooked." 

Le Moing balances the sweet juiciness of tomatoes, strawberries, and strawberry jam with a drizzle of tangy balsamic glaze, the appealing mild creaminess of ricotta, and a sprinkle of crispy Malden flake salt. In a simple recipe, each ingredient plays a key role. "As always, I suggest using strawberries and cherry tomatoes from the farmer's market when they are in season for the best flavor. The fewer ingredients a recipe has, the better quality the ingredients should be," Le Moing advises. 

Le Moing suggests serving the pizza with fresh arugula on the side as a light supper or as an appetizer before grilled chicken or fish for the perfect summer meal. You're unlikely to have leftovers, but if you do reheat them in tin foil in a 350 F oven for 10 to 15 minutes. 

For this recipe, you'll need homemade or store-bought pizza dough. If you're going the from-scratch route, Le Moing recommends prepping it the previous day and keeping it in a covered greased bowl in the fridge. Remove the dough half an hour before you start the recipe to let it come to room temperature. Store-bought dough can also be kept chilled and brought to room temperature shortly before you start cooking. 

Next, you'll need strawberry jam, ricotta, a large strawberry (sliced into rounds), and cherry tomatoes (sliced into rounds). To season the pizza, use extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic glaze, Maldon flake salt, and freshly ground black pepper. The final summery touch is fresh basil, which goes perfectly with both tomatoes and strawberries. If you don't have any balsamic glaze, Le Moing offers an easy trick to make your own. "Simply pour ¼ cup of balsamic vinegar into a pot and simmer over medium heat until it starts to thicken and coats the back of a spoon." If you're making this for a crowd, simply double up on the ingredients and make two pizzas.

Adjust an oven rack to upper-middle position and set the oven to high broil.

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a 12-inch skillet.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it into an 11-inch round.

Transfer the dough directly into the greased skillet, reshaping as needed.

Using the back of a spoon, spread jam in a thin layer over the surface of the dough, leaving a ½-inch border around the edge.

Evenly distribute the tomatoes and strawberries over the jam.

Cook over high heat until the dough has puffed and the bottom is spotted brown, about 5 minutes.

Transfer the skillet to the oven and broil until the crust is brown, about 3 minutes.

Remove the pizza from the oven and use a spatula to slide it onto a cutting board.

Dollop ricotta over the pizza in small spoonfuls.

Drizzle the pizza with balsamic glaze and extra-virgin olive oil.

Sprinkle with fresh basil, Maldon salt, and black pepper.

Slice and serve the fruit pizza.

Aside from letting you experiment with delicious combinations of ingredients, making pizza at home can be a lot of fun. Le Moing loves using the skillet method, "It's simple and produces a crust that's crunchy and golden brown on the outside and chewy on the inside." Even if you don't have a lot of fancy equipment, you likely have a skillet in your cupboard. "As someone who doesn't have a pizza stone or grill, this skillet technique is great and so easy!" Aside from a standard skillet, she notes that a cast-iron pan works well too. 

If you do have a pizza stone or grill, they are great options for preparing this pizza as well. "The grill is perfect for summer and adds a nice charred, bitter flavor that balances the sweet fruit pizza," she describes. Le Moing also points out that the pizza crust can be cooked on a baking sheet. "In this method, you use your hands to stretch the dough into a rectangle within the baking sheet," she instructs. "Cover and let it rise for about 1 hour before spreading with jam and toppings and baking in a 450 F oven for 15 to 20 minutes." All the methods will lead to delicious results, so work with what you have.

Part of the beauty of this recipe is its simplicity, and the ricotta pairs wonderfully with the stronger flavors and textures of strawberries, cherry tomatoes, and balsamic glaze. However, Le Moing says that other types of cheese can easily be swapped in if you're looking for variations in flavor or meltiness, such as goat cheese, feta, burrata, mascarpone, brie, or fresh mozzarella. "When choosing a cheese, consider how its flavor will complement or contrast with the strawberries and tomatoes — balancing sweet, salt, and tangy." For example, you might want a sharp element to contrast the sweetness of the pizza, or something nutty to complement the taste.

Texture is another important component, and if you're looking to switch things up you can add the cheese before cooking rather than after, as you might for a more traditional pizza. "For example, burrata or mascarpone will melt and create a creamy texture, while firmer cheese like feta or mozzarella will add more bite," Le Moing explains. Be careful not to overpower the ripe tomato and strawberry combination, "If using a stronger cheese like feta or goat cheese, a little goes a long way because they have a stronger flavor."