It’s that time of the year again, Yes, it is pumpkin season! Consequently, I made my first pumpkin recipe this year. Maybe a little unusual combination, but check out this truffle pumpkin pizza with goat cheese. Fabulous!
Pumpkin and cheese, not any cheese, but goat cheese, go perfectly together. And that’s not all. Last week I got a couple of black truffles. The most famous truffle recipes are with pasta, risotto, egg, steak or polenta. Instead of using the truffle in a “traditional” recipe, I put it on this rustic pizza. Doesn’t this sound just like a great pizza recipe?
I chose the Hokkaido pumpkin. Yes, again. This pumpkin is so beautiful. That vivid orange colour is a little hypnotising. It just says, take me, pick me. Heheh. The other reason why I like this pumpkin is that it doesn’t need to be peeled. Its skin is thin and completely edible. Moreover, you can use it in many different ways (pumpkin bread, dressing, risotto, roasted pumpkin, mashed, pumpkin soup, fritters, frittata).
Besides pumpkin, you have these two amazing ingredients. Each of them has its own unique aroma which makes this truffle pumpkin pizza so special. You have the goat cheese, which is a little bit tangy and creamy smooth. Then you have the black truffle and I am not talking about the little chocolate treat. I am talking about the subterranean fungus. Yes, a mushroom. How does a truffle smell and taste? I would say they have an earthy fragrance. It kind of reminds me of the aroma of a mushroom. Well, after all, a truffle is a mushroom. Maybe with a slightly more pungent flavour.
Ingredients for a truffle pumpkin pizza (ca Ø 40-50cm):
- 80 ml water (lukewarm)
- 80 ml milk (room temperature)
- 10 g fresh yeast (or ¼ of the cube)
- 50 g polenta
- 3 pinches of salt
- a pinch of sugar
- 230 g flour (and some for dusting)
- 350 g Hokkaido pumpkin
- 200 g sour cream
- 150 g goat cheese
- 1-2 fresh truffles
For the dough, mix the water and milk in a larger bowl. Then crumble in the fresh yeast and mix using a hand mixer (with the dough hooks attached). Once the yeast dissolves, add the salt, sugar and polenta. Then sift in the flour and mix until sticky and elastic. The procedure was the same as for the prosciutto pizza, with a small change of the proportion of the yeast.
Leave the dough in the bowl, dust it with some flour, cover with a clean kitchen towel and put to rest for about 1 hour in a draft-free place (in the oven for example).
In the meantime, wash the pumpkin and cut the amount you need. My pumpkin was small, it weighted not even 1 kg and I used half of it. Using a spoon, remove the seeds and then cut it into wedges, slices or cubes.
Put in a pan and blanch for 3 minutes. Don’t overcook it or you’ll get a pumpkin mash. Then remove from the pan and keep aside for the pizza topping.
Next, clean the truffles. Clean them as you do with mushrooms. I wouldn’t advise to wash them. Simply brush them instead. Using a gentle brush clean carefully all the dirt and if the dirt is hard to remove, then use the tip of a knife. And an important tip: clean the truffle only when you need it. If you store them for a couple of weeks then leave them dirty and clean them when you prepare them.
Now cut the goat cheese into slices or cubes. Prepare your working station by placing a damp kitchen towel on the working surface and then put a sheet of baking paper on top of it. Sprinkle it with some flour.
After one hour of rest, the dough should be ready. Transfer it onto your dusted baking paper. Before you start doing anything, preheat the oven to the maximum. My oven has a 250ºC capacity. And another thing; are you going to use a baking tray (turned upside down) or a pizza stone? No matter which one it will be, leave it in the oven to get as hot as possible. This will help the truffle pumpkin pizza to get that nice crust.
Roll out the dough or simply use your hands to form the shape you like. The dough will be very soft and easy to manage. Remember to dust the rolling pin and your hands with some flour. And try to make the dough as thin as possible.
Once you reach your desired pizza size and shape, spread the sour cream over the dough. Then place the pumpkin wedges on it and at the end finish with the goat cheese. For the next step, you have to be careful and quick. Take the baking tray (wearing your mittens) out of the oven and quickly (with one move) drag the baking paper with pizza on it on the tray. Place the pizza in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.
Take the pizza out of the oven, grate the fresh black truffle on it and then serve this delicious truffle pumpkin pizza directly on a cutting board, cut in triangles. You might serve some creamy balsamic dressing next to it.
Enjoy!
