French pizza

This French pizza was cooked quickly in a scorching 550° oven, so the crust was über crispy. So what makes it French? It has a smear of crème fraîche, which adds a super creamy feel, especially when it melts and commingles with Gruyere cheese. It's also made with lightly caramelized onions that were cooked slowly in, umm... bacon fat, and big dices of Canadian bacon, so it's doubly smokey and trés luscious. Although it includes these sweet caramelized onions, the pizza should not be confused with a French Pissaladière, which is a savory tart made with caramelized onions, anchovy, and olives. Click here to see one I made in the summer of 2012. The link also shows how to caramelized onions. Vegetarians, just skip the bacon fat and ham and shake in a dash of liquid smoke to get that rich, smokey flavor. 

Here's how to make it: Flatten your pizza dough out thin, into 8-10 in rounds—use a rolling pin if it helps you. Then spread a thick layer of crème fraîche on the dough, add caramelized onions, gruyere cheese, diced canadian bacon, and salt and pepper.

Cook it quickly in a preheated, 550° oven for just 8-10 minutes (preferably on a pizza stone if you have one), until it starts to brown and bubble. Slice and enjoy. It's great with a big salad with autumn fruit in it, like pears or apples.