Pear Prosciutto Pizza with Spiked Lavender Lemonade

This is a cross-over post with the fabulous Love Les, who provided the photography.

When I was in middle school, my dad completed his lifelong dream of building a pizza oven in our backyard. It meant I had the best birthday parties every year and placed unmatched expectations on all other pizzas. Since I lived far from that wonderful pizza oven for the last 7 years, I've learned to make delicious homemade pizza in any oven. This recipe might be my all-time favorite and it's definitely the most impressive looking.

The key to homemade pizzas is to roll out the dough onto a piece of parchment paper dusted with flour. This makes the whole process so easy. You can slide the pizza onto the baking sheet and then it comes right off when it bakes. Wax paper will melt and if you roll it out onto the counter, it will just stick to it, and your beautiful pizza will be ruined. This pizza doesn't have sauce and is light on the cheese, but I think you'll find it's just the right balance. 

This dinner and drink combination made for a delightful spring evening on my "balcony" with a good friends. Nights like that are my very favorite.  

Pear Prosciutto Pizza

Dough Ingredients: 
2 cups flour
3/4 cup warm water
1 t salt
1 T sugar
1 packet active dry yeast (or 2 1/4 teaspoons)

Pizza Ingredients:
1 pear
2 slices prosciutto
1-2 cloves garlic
Shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup caramelized onions
Salt and pepper

Directions: 
1. At least an hour before making your pizzas, make the pizza dough according to this recipe. You can definitely use store bought dough, but homemade is easy, cheap and you feel so accomplished!
2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
3. Caramelize onions. The key is low and slow. When they turn brown, they get sweet and delicious.
4. Roll out pizza dough on parchment paper.
5. Drizzle dough with olive oil, and shake a small handful of mozzarella cheese on top. Then add the rest of the toppings. Tear up prosciutto into smaller pieces and arrange all over pizza. 
6. Shred some parmesan over the top and drizzle with olive oil again. Add salt and pepper.
7. Slide pizza onto baking sheet or pizza stone. Bake for 12-17 minutes and enjoy! 

This lemonade recipe is another one of my favorites. It's so simple, but always manages feel impressive. Homemade infused lemonade? Ooh la la! I use this juicer and it works perfectly for me. We made the lemonade into cocktails for our dinner, but it's just as delicious as it is. Don't like lavender? Make it with mint, blueberries, rosemary, or a million other infusions. The possibilities are endless! 

Lavender Lemonade 

This recipe is adapted from Simply Recipes by Elise Bauer. 

Ingredients:
All quantities are to taste. You can add or decrease the amount of any ingredient. 
Small handful of fresh or dried lavender flowers
8-10 Lemons
6 cups water
2/3 cup Honey or agave
Optional: vodka

Directions:
1. Boil 2 cups water, lavender flowers, and honey. Once honey has dissolved, let steep until cool. Strain out flowers.
2. Juice lemons into pitcher. Pour in lavender infused water.
3. Add additional water or honey to taste. Enjoy!
4. To make it a cocktail: pour 1 shot vodka over ice in a shaker. Add lemonade and shake throughly. Strain into cocktail glass and enjoy!