Hot Body, Hot Kitchen: Whole-wheat pizza with pear and Gorgonzola (VIDEO)

Half the fun of getting in the kitchen is finding simple, interesting ingredients and combining them in new ways that bring out fresh and unexpected flavors. Food doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming to be delicious, and easy doesn’t mean it has to be boring.

More:Hot Body, Hot Kitchen: Chili-glazed cod with spicy basil greens (VIDEO)

So today I’m showing you how to take a basic staple of cheat-day eats — the pizza — and turn it into something spectacular to liven up your palate. First I’m going to walk you through making your own wheat dough that you can create in large batches so you’ll always have some on hand. Then we’re going to sauce our pizza with a sweet onion jam, roasted pears and Gorgonzola cheese, and by the time you bite into this masterpiece, you’re going to be saying goodbye to delivery pizza forever.

More:Hot Body, Hot Kitchen: Sweet cheese blintzes (VIDEO)

Whole-wheat pizza with roasted pear and Gorgonzola recipe

Ingredients:

• Basic pizza dough (recipe below)
• Flour, for dusting
• Onion jam (recipe below)
• Sliced pear
• Gongonzola
• Arugula

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 500 degrees F.
2. Cut the dough in half. On a floured surface, roll out 1 portion to form a crust, and place it on a floured, inverted sheet pan.
3. Spread onion jam over the dough, then add pear slices and Gorgonzola.
4. Bake for 10 minutes.
5. Slide the pizza onto a cutting board, top with arugula, and slice into pieces.

Basic pizza dough recipe

Chop secret: I make a big batch of dough and keep it in the freezer for unexpected hungry guests who seem to always show up at odd hours. I also find that the day after I make this and it rises again in the fridge yields even better results.

Ingredients:

• 3-1/2 cups stone-ground wheat 00 bread flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1-1/2 cups 110-degree F water
• 2 teaspoons yeast
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for oiling the bowl

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix together the warm water, yeast and honey. Set it on a counter to rest for 5 minutes. The mixture should get nice and foamy — if it doesn’t, your yeast is dead.
2. Tip the flour and salt into the container of your food processor, and pulse a few times to mix.
3. Pour the yeast mixture and olive oil over the flour, and process until the dough comes together in a ball, about 45 seconds.
4. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and gently knead and fold the dough with the palms of your hands for about 5 minutes, forming it into 1 large ball.
5. Drizzle a bowl with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and place the dough inside, flipping it a few times to coat in the oil.
6. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and place in a warm area of your kitchen to rise for about an hour.
7. After the dough has risen, punch it down in the bowl, and turn it back out onto your floured board.
8. Cut the dough into 4 pieces, and wrap separately in large, resealable bags. Freeze or refrigerate straightaway. The dough will continue to rise if it is in the fridge, so don’t be alarmed.

Onion jam recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 stems picked thyme
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a 10-inch sauté pan. Once the oil is shimmering, add the onions, thyme and salt, and stir constantly while they cook until they are completely softened and starting to brown slightly, about 12 – 15 minutes.
2. Tip in the cider vinegar, maple syrup and butter, and continue to cook until nice and jammy, about 10 minutes more.
3. Remove from the heat, and set aside to cool.

More:Dean Sheremet: I found a new life in the kitchen