My kiddo loves the book The Trouble with Cauliflower by Jane Sutton.
The main character, Mortimer, is a koala, and since our trip to Australia, the kiddo has been fascinated with all things Australian. There are many food references in the book, including a special pizza that has pineapple, peaches, and extra grapes. And a little cauliflower, of course. The kiddo thought it would be fun to make this pizza, and started asking for it daily, so I decided I should try to make it!
A few things before I start:
- I’m not engaging in the “Does pineapple belong on pizza?” debate? This is a fictional koala’s pizza, and I’m going with it.
- Pies and Pints has a Grape and Gorgonzola Pizza that I like, and I love roasted grapes in general, so I used that as an inspiration for the pizza.
My original plan was to use pineapple slices as a topping, but I cut the pineapple the day before I made the pizza. The boys ate all of the pineapple before I made the pizza! I didn’t have time to run to the store, so I improvised with the canned, crushed pineapple. I liked the mixture of ricotta, marscapone, pineapple, and thyme so I may keep that for the next version!
The kiddo helped me make this pizza too. He helped stir the ricotta mixture and spread it on the pizza. He also topped the pizza with peaches and grapes once I let them cool a little bit.
Mortimer’s Pizza (Version 1)
Ingredients
- 1 premade pizza dough or crust (I used Trader Joe’s whole wheat pizza dough)
- 3/4 cup ricotta
- 1/4 cup marscapone
- 1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 peach, sliced (slightly underripe works best)
- 1.5 cups grapes, halved
- 1/2 tsp herbs de provence
- 1 Tbsp olive or avocado oil
- 1 cup cauliflower, chopped or broken into small florets (optional)
- 4-6 slices prosciutto (optional)
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees (or temperature recommended on package).
- Spread pizza dough or pizza crust on a pizza stone or cookie sheet. If using dough, prebake crust for 6-8 minutes (follow dough directions). If using premade crust, follow directions for thawing or skip this step.
- While crust bakes, slice peaches and grapes. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Cut the cauliflower into florets. Toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a second baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Remove the crust from the oven and let cool slightly.
- Bake the grapes and peaches for 6-8 minutes at 400 to pull the moisture out of the fruit.
- Bake the cauliflower in the oven for 15 min at 400, or until the cauliflower turns golden.
- Mix the ricotta, marscapone, crushed pineapple, and thyme in a small bowl until smooth.
- Spread the cheese and pineapple mixture over the pizza crust, leaving a half-inch border. Top with peaches and grapes. Sprinkle with herbes de provence.
- Bake at 400 for 8 minutes or until crust reaches desired crispiness.
- Take pizza out of the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting. Top with prosciutto and cauliflower, if desired.
- Slice and eat!
Verdict: Not bad!
I liked the pizza with prosciutto, but I wasn’t a fan of the cauliflower on the pizza. Hubby liked it all together, and the kiddo liked the cauliflower but not the prosciutto. The fruit provided a nice contrast to the richness of the ricotta cheese, but it needed a punch of something. Pies and Pints uses gorgonzola on their pizza, and I think that would be an excellent choice, but the kiddo doesn’t like it so I left it out. Maybe goat cheese would be a nice contrast? Or maybe roasted garlic?
I am definitely going to make a new version of this pizza again. I was surprised by how much everyone liked it, but as this was my first attempt, I know it can be better.
So, dear readers, I have a challenge for you: How would you make Mortimer’s pizza? Try it and let me know your changes in the comments below or share your pictures on instagram using #mortimerspizza and tagging us! @peopleplacesmem
