Pesto Pizza

Sometimes, being a food stylist means you come home from work covered in goo and smelling like a restaurant kitchen. Other times, you reap the rewards of delicious leftovers and yesterday was one of those days. The majority of my work week was consumed by a shoot illustrating the many uses of a high powered blender. This left me with large containers of soup, sauces, and smoothies. My favorite was the pesto. Made with spinach, basil, garlic, olive oil, tomatoes and blanched almonds it was so scrumptious that I could have eaten it by the spoonful. Instead, I made a pizza. First, I whipped up a quick and easy pizza dough*. Once the crust was formed on the baking sheet, I slathered on the pesto and topped the pie with cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, and parmesan. Baked at 450 degrees for about 12 minutes, it was absolute pizza perfection. The bold flavor of the pesto was enhanced by the simple toppings and the crust had just the right crunch. All those delightful flavors melting in my mouth made me forget all about my 13 hour work days... ahhh, the perks of being a food stylist.

*Pizza Dough:

1 package of dry yeast

3/4 C warm water

2 C flour

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

Dissolve yeast in water and let stand for about 5 minutes. Stir in the dry ingredients and mix until blended. Knead 2-3 minutes. Let dough sit for 15 minutes before forming in to shape.