It is a beautiful fall day here in Arizona.  The sky is crystal clear and a color blue so pure and clear, it defies description.  The pyracanthas (firethorns) are laden with orange berries, and it is 82 degrees.  So it is not the ‘awesome autumn’ I remember from my days in New England, but it is beautiful in a desert kind of way. 

 

I find myself longing for a piping hot bowl of butternut squash soup or a bubbling apple pie – something warm on a cool fall day.  Oh, wait a minute, not so cool here…guess I will grill an Awesome Autumn pizza instead.  That way the house will stay cool, but my heart will be warmed by the memories of fall in New England evoked as I savor each bite. 

The following is an excerpt from Pizza Memoirs – all rights are reserved.

Awesome Autumn Pizza

 

Today is the first day of fall and it is a toasty 102 degrees here in Tucson, AZ. I find myself missing the sights, sounds and smells of fall in New England. As I sat outside in the heat of the day, I closed my eyes and imagined I was sitting in front of one of the fireplaces in our previous home in CT. I could feel the heat of the fire (of course it was the sun), see the vibrant foliage and hear the crunching of leaves as we buckled down to complete yard work in anticipation of winter. I recalled the bounty of apples and squash, our visits to orchards on crisp fall days and the comfort derived from enjoying a warm galette, bubbling over with fragrant butternut squash, apples and cheese. The Awesome Autumn Pizza is my snapshot of fall in New England.

 

1 tablespoon	Olive oil
4 tablespoons	Unsalted butter, divided
1 small	Butternut squash (about ¾ pound), peeled, seeded and cut into ½ inch dice*
	Pinch kosher salt
	Freshly ground black pepper to taste
¼ cup	Water (more as needed to prevent burning of squash)
	Pinch freshly ground nutmeg
8 to 10	Whole fresh sage leaves, plus additional for garnish
8 to 9 ounces	Prepared pizza dough at room temperature
1 recipe 5 ounces	Caramelized onions (page  ) Stilton blue cheese or other good blue cheese, divided
6	Whole chestnuts, roasted, peeled and chopped – available in specialty stores
1 large	Baking apple such as Cortland or Granny Smith, cored, halved  and cut into 1/8 inch slices
2 teaspoons	Fresh thyme leaves
	Maple Syrup for drizzling, dark amber grade A is preferred

 

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add squash, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until squash is completely coated with oil/butter mixture and slightly softened. Add water to pan, cover and cook for 5 minutes longer or until softened but not mushy. Using a slotted spoon, remove squash from pan and grate fresh nutmeg over the pieces. Set aside to cool.

2. Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add whole fresh sage leaves and cook until butter begins to brown, stirring occasionally. Be careful not to let the butter burn. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

3. Roll, stretch and shape dough into an unrefined 12 to 14” circular shape according to basic directions. Brush dough with browned butter and top with sage leaves, tearing them apart and distributing evenly over dough. 

4. Spread caramelized onions out over entire crust, leaving about a ½ inch border. Top with 2 ounces of the Stilton.

5. Scatter butternut squash over entire pizza and top evenly with chestnuts. Arrange apple slices over all.   

6. Top with remainder of the Stilton cheese and sprinkle with thyme leaves.

7. Bake on a preheated Pizza Grill or on a preheated pizza stone in a 500^o F. degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating pizza after 4 minutes to prevent sticking. Bake until crust is firm and golden, top is bubbly and apples are softened. 

8. Remove pizza from grill or oven and immediately drizzle with maple syrup if desired. Garnish with fresh sage leaves; cut and serve.

 

Note: This makes a great appetizer pizza if you stretch dough into a 14 inch long rectangular shape. After baking, cut into small squares.