Prosciutto, Goat Cheese and Fig Jam on an Eggnog/Butternut Crust (Pizza Night!)

An eggnog/butternut squash pizza crust topped with prosciutto, goat cheese, and fig jam

I wish I had some sort of clever little story about how this pizza came to be.  The plain fact is that my son found half gallons of eggnog for 50 cents after Christmas last year and I figured I'd get one and play around with it.  I also had the Strategic Winter Squash Reserve staring at me balefully, wanting to be included in everything.  So, since I had my 'shred a butternut squash' epiphany, I decided I'd put some in pizza crusts.  That worked out just fine, so I cast a wider net.  I figured the color of the butternut squash would only enhance an eggnog crust (whereas beets or kale in an eggnog crust would be . . . . just wrong).  I knew the eggnog would make a slightly sweet crust, and I love sweet and salty blends, so perhaps this is the right time to try my favorite combo:  prosciutto, goat cheese, and fig jam. [That combo comes directly from a George Foreman grill cookbook--put that in a panini and smash it and you are in for a real treat.]  

This crust is a marvel.  It's pillowy and soft thanks to the dairy, yet it bakes up firm enough to stand up like a regular slice of pizza.  It's very slightly sweet.  [If you're wanting a dessert pizza crust using eggnog, add a tablespoon or two of sugar to the crust, and sweet toppings.] My topping combo totally works with this crust--perhaps even better than on a plain crust.  It is delicious and if you find yourself with some butternut squash (leftover roasted mashed would also work fine) and a spare half cup of eggnog, give this a try. It's a StrangeButGood combination!

I've revamped my Visual Recipe Index! For more ideas on what to do with your butternut squash, click here.

Prosciutto, Goat Cheese and Fig Jam on an Eggnog-Butternut Squash crust

For the crust:
1/2 cup eggnog
1 cup shredded butternut squash, cooked in the microwave 2 minutes
1 ounce OlivExtra oil (or the cooking oil of your choice)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 Tablespoon water
1 teaspoon cornmeal

For more info on making pizza dough in a bread machine, check my spinach crust here, and for general pizza hints and tips, refer to my Pizza Primer here.  For other pizza dough and pizza topping ideas, check out my Visual Pizza Recipe Index.

I made this crust in the bread machine on "pizza dough" cycle for no particular reason other than I wanted to be able to keep an eye on it and add water as necessary--oh, and because the machine had a preheat setting to bring the eggnog up to the proper temperature easier than my cold kitchen.  I am positive it can be done in a bowl, or a mixer, or any other way.  I put the ingredients in the bread machine pan in the order they are listed--up through the yeast. After a couple of minutes it looked dry, so I added the water.  After another couple of minutes it looked wet, so I added the cornmeal.
Then I stopped looking at it.
When the cycle finished, it looked like this:

For the pizza:
1 eggnog-butternut squash crust
1/3 cup (80 ml) fig jam, warmed (I did 15 seconds in the microwave)
2 or 3 thin slices prosciutto
1/4 cup goat cheese
1 cup shredded fontina cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.  If you have a pizza stone, preheat that as well--then "forget" to take it out of your oven!  On an oiled sheet of parchment, stretch out the dough into the shape that pleases you.  Spread with warmed fig jam across entire crust.  Top with torn pieces of prosciutto and clumps of goat cheese in an even, asymmetrical, yet pleasing manner.  Scatter fontina across the entire crust.  Bake on a pizza stone or a cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes, then shake off the parchment and bake, directly on the stone or sheet, another 3-5 minutes until cheeses are browned and bubbly.
Cool on a wire rack, then slice and serve.  Enjoy!

This post is shared on the Wednesday Fresh Foods Link Up, From the Farm Blog Hop, Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Tasty Tuesdays, What's Cookin' Wednesday, and Strange But Good at Sprint 2 the Table.

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