More Pillsbury Products and Some Fabulous Pizza

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Remember when I told you about my product score from Pillsbury the other day? Well, they also sent me some of their new Refrigerated Thin-style Pizza Crust to try. So, last night was pizza night at Chez SGCC.

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Since I had two tubes of crust to use, and since one pizza is never enough at our house, I made two pizzas for dinner. The first one was a classic and simple variation on a Pizza Margherita, using fresh plum tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, garlic and oregano. The second was a Caramelized Onion, Duck Breast and Brie Pizza.

There really is no hard and fast recipe for the Pizza Margherita. You simply slice your tomatoes and toss them with a little extra-virgin olive oil and minced garlic. Next, slice your mozzarella and roll out the dough. I used an 11x15 baking sheet instead of my pizza stone, because that's what the instructions said. Next time, I would probably use the stone to make the crust a little crispier in the middle. After that, top your pizza first with the tomatoes and then with the cheese. Then, sprinkle with salt, pepper and dried oregano and bake. It doesn't get any easier than this, unless you call Pizza Hut!

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Of course, the success of a simple, no-frills pie like this one really depends on using the freshest, quality ingredients you can get your hands on. When you do that, there is no delivery pizza that can compare!

The Caramelized Onion, Duck Breast and Brie Pizza was a little more involved. I started by sautéing thinly sliced red onions over medium-low heat until soft and translucent. Then I added some balsamic vinegar and continued cooking until the onions were very soft, sweet and caramelized. I took precooked duck breasts from Maple Leaf Farms and browned them up a little in a skillet and cut them into thin slices. You certainly could start with raw duck breasts and cook them yourself, (which I have done before), but honestly, the precooked ones are so moist and delicious, I can't justify the extra time for a weeknight meal.

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To assemble the pizza, just unroll the crust and top with a layer of the onions, the duck breast and slices of your favorite brie. Bake, and drool over the results!

Both of these pizzas turned out beautifully using Pillsbury's thin pizza crust. I had never tried a refrigerator crust before this and I have to say I would use it again. The crust bakes up really nice and crispy and has a light texture, without that doughy, chewiness that you can sometimes get. I also thought that the crust had a lovely flavor - almost like there was a touch of honey in the dough. I definitely recommend giving this product a try for a quick weeknight meal.

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Caramelized Onion, Duck Breast and Brie Pizza (Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

3-4 tablespoons olive oil

2 large red onions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

4-5 fresh sage leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

2 precooked duck breasts (I used Maple Leaf Farms brand.)

1 medium wheel of brie, (about 8 ounces), chilled and sliced

1 Pillsbury Refrigerated Thin-style Pizza Crust (or any pizza crust of your choice)

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan or skillet over medium heat. Add onions and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add balsamic vinegar, thyme and sage, reduce heat to medium low and continue to saute until onions are very soft and caramelized and balsamic has been almost totally absorbed, about 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

Heat pan over medium high heat and sear duck breasts for a few minutes on each to heat them and crisp the skin up a little. Remove from heat, slice and set aside.

Roll out pizza crust on a baking sheet or a pizza stone. Spread the onion mixture on the crust, followed by the duck breast and ending with the brie. Leave about a one inch perimeter of crust un-topped.

Bake until crust is golden brown and toppings are hot and bubbly.

Enjoy!

Here are a few more great pizza recipes from around the blogs:

Picadillo Pizza

Mostly Wild Mushroom Pizza from Blue Kitchen

Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza by Dragon's Kitchen

Pizza alla Bismark from the White on Rice Couple

Shrimp Scampi Pizza from No Special Effects

Fruit Pizza from Foodstuff

Comments

Anonymous said…
I would have never guessed that this dough would work out so well. Your duck and brie pizza is a total winner.

--Marc
Anonymous said…
Okay, the mozzarella melted so wonderfully, it is a masterpiece!
Peter M said…
Pilsbury Margherita..totally works for me.
Anonymous said…
This looks really delicious. I had a wild hair to make pizza on Sunday night, as well, but the results aren't exactly getting posted. I was really off my game, and while it tasted OK, it just wasn't worthy of sharing.

I love pizza margherita, and yours looks beautiful!
Patsyk said…
I'm so happy to see they now have a thin crust pizza crust! My boys will be thrilled!

I must say my fav pizza is pizza marghertia... nothing better in the world than those flavors all together! Yum!
Perfect for those weekday meals when time is running out (before the light goes to take photos for our blogs):D
squawmama said…
I have used their pizza crust for many dishes but never this one.. I love thin crust and will be looking for it in my local store... Who I 'm I kidding.. I LOVE all pizzas so thanks for sharing the recipes...

Hugs,
Donna
Susan @ SGCC said…
Marc- Thanks! I was pleasantly surprised. I'd never used supermarket crust before.

Noble Pig- Oh my! Thanks so much!

Peter- Come on over. Bring some wine! ;)

Haley- Thanks! I have a pile of those too! Or the ones where I took a bunch of pictures of the process, but never got one of the finished product. I hate that!

Patsy- I have to say, I agree with you.

Val- Absolutely! And that light is going down earlier and earlier too.

Donna- I'm so glad you like it! Do try the thin crust. I was really pleased with it.
Deborah said…
I'm trying to use up tomatoes before the first freeze - and I have some of this dough in my fridge!
CookiePie said…
Both pizzas look so delectable! I'd like a slice of each, please!
Maria said…
I love brie! I will have to try it on pizza!
Anonymous said…
Oh my. Oh my, oh my this looks so good. So very, very good. Oh my.
Whoa. I want that duck and brie pizza! That looks seriously yummy.
Andrea said…
Wow, that duck pizza sounds out of this world! What a creative combination for a pizza. I bet it was delicious!
Heather said…
mmmm that looks goood :) i love duck! sounds like it would be delicious on pizza :)
Talk to the hand.....you and all your FREE stuff hehehehe.

I have never had duck...I can't bring myself to eat it. They are too damn cute. The way they waddle....just can't do it.
Sharona May said…
Can't say I have ever made Duck and Carmelized Onion pizza but I have used the Pilsbury Pizza Crust and I like it.

I will have to be a little more adventurous like you. The pizzas look GREAT.

Sharona May
Sharona May said…
Can't say I have ever made Duck and Carmelized Onion pizza but I have used the Pilsbury Pizza Crust and I like it.

I will have to be a little more adventurous like you. The pizzas look GREAT.

Sharona May
All I'm saying is one word...WOW!

-DTW
www.everydaycookin.blogspot.com
Cynthia said…
Glad to hear and know that the crust works so well.
Audrey said…
I had no idea that you could buy precooked duck, and that it would be good to boot! I order duck in restaurants when I can, but it's one of those things I would never attempt at home. I have a duck and wild rice salad recipe that I can try now! The pizzas (both of them) look wonderful.
Anonymous said…
Ahh we love LOVE LOVE duck at my house! I usually have a freezer full after duck season. Try wrapping duck breast around julienned jalepeno and wrap the whole thing in bacon. YUMMO!

I found your blog via flickr food blog group.
Nicole said…
Really? Is it good dough? That is good to know. I will have to try is sometime.
Deborah Dowd said…
It is so fun to see what others did with their thin crust- Your duck and brie pizza is inspired. Check out our family version of Iron Chef using this pizza crust!
Anonymous said…
Oh, man, that duck pizza looks great. I could probably eat the whole tray.

And congratulations on the Joust!

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