Remember that time I went to the Saly Cortile Cucina for a pizza party? Well, I’ve now become a regular at these gatherings, and this past weekend, I experienced my favorite one yet! In the past, all of the guests have shown great creativity when it comes to pizza toppings, but this was the first time that we had an official theme: Breakfast for Dinner. Anyone who knows me knows that I could eat breakfast any time of day. It’s my all-time favorite meal, and I feel strongly that most (not all, but most) foods are only made better by adding an egg on top. I’m pretty sure the hashtag #PutAnEggOnIt was created with me in mind. Needless to say, I was very excited when I got the invitation, and the wheels in my brain started turning with recipe ideas right away..
First, I thought about traditional pizza toppings that are also regulars on the breakfast table, and breakfast meats came to mind. Sausage, ham, bacon… Although I don’t ordinarily follow the laws of kashrut, these toppings were not appealing to me at the time. Then I thought about my favorite breakfast items outside the confines of pizza toppings: omelets, pancakes, cereal. I was stumped, when all of a sudden, I had a moment of great clarity.
I love blueberry muffins, especially when they come with a crumb topping! Plus, I’d never heard of a blueberry muffin pizza before, but I was excited to try it. Fortunately, it turned out to be a big hit for the night! I was dubious, since I hadn’t practiced the recipe beforehand, but I thought, “how bad could mascarpone, blueberries and crumb topping really be?” I’m so glad I took the gamble, because it could not have turned out any better. The blueberries withstood the heat marvelously, and plumped up right away. The crumb topping melted into the layers below, coating them with a kiss of sweetness. All together, this creation made one darn tasty bite!
There was so much happening that night that I was worried the party guests may not get the chance to really indulge in my new creation. We had cereal as a “snacketizer,” the bloody marys and spiked hot cocoas were flowing, countless ridiculously delicious pizzas were firing up in the oven, and we all had a blast catching up with old friends. But as soon as Matt pulled my blueberry muffin pizza out the oven, the crowd gathered for a slice.
I don’t know which I liked better, the food or the company, but all in all, it was another unforgettable experience, and I feel very lucky to have been a part of it.
The good news is that you don’t have to wait for a pizza party to make a blueberry muffin pizza. I imagine that this would make a perfect stand in for traditional coffee cake any day of the week. In fact, it’s on my personal menu for tomorrow morning, when I entertain some out-of-towners before the big turkey feast… and my mouth is already watering!
- 1 store-bought uncooked pizza dough (I like Trader Joe's whole wheat pizza dough)
- ½ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup cold butter
- ⅓ cup mascarpone cheese, softened
- 1 lemon, zested
- 12 oz fresh blueberries
- Let dough sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in cold butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
- Roll out dough on floured surface, and transfer to a parchment-lined baking pan.
- Spread mascarpone cheese over the dough, and sprinkle with lemon zest.
- Top the mascarpone cheese with the blueberries, and gently press them into the dough.
- Add desired amount of crumb mixture on top of the blueberries (*Note: You do not have to use all of it), and bake for 10-15 minutes or until pizza bubbles and crumb topping browns slightly.
- Let rest 3-5 minutes before slicing.
