Goat Cheese Pesto and Asparagus Pizza

Directions

• 1-hr Pizza Dough (makes 4-5 personal pizza crusts)
• To make the 1-hr dough, in the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook, add the honey and warm water and mix. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let it sit for 5-10 minutes until it begins to bloom and appear foamy.
• Next, add the oil, flour, salt and herbs and begin mixing on medium. Mix until the contents are completely incorporated and the dough forms a smooth ball around the hook (alternatively, mix by hand and knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth).
• Form the dough into a fairly tight ball and drizzle a small amount of olive oil into a large bowl. Add the dough ball to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside. Place the bowl in a warm place, such as an oven with the light on, until the dough has doubled in size (this will take about 1 hour).
• Once doubled, punch the dough down and divide into individual balls for each crust. Wrap each with plastic wrap and place in the fridge until ready to use. When ready, press your dough into a round crust to your preference of thickness.
• Make the Pesto Sauce
• First, toast the pine nuts in the oven for 5-8 minutes at 350°F on a sheet pan or until they just start to turn brown. Alternatively, you can do it in a pan on the stove for a few minutes until the pine nuts start to turn brown and become fragrant. Put the pine nuts into the blender.
• Bring a small pot of water to a boil and put your halved garlic cloves in for 2 minutes. Remove the garlic and put into the blender with the pine nuts. Add the basil leaves and olive oil and blend until smooth. Add the cheese, salt, and lemon juice and continue to blend. You should have a thick, smooth pesto at this point.
• Prepare the Toppings
• For the asparagus, bring a small pot of water to a boil and add some kosher salt (about 1 Tbsp for a quart of water). Once the water is boiling, add the asparagus tips for 1.5 minutes. Remove the asparagus to ice water and shock to stop the cooking process. The asparagus should still be crisp and not soft. Drain the asparagus and dry on paper towels and set aside.
• Break up the fresh goat cheese and grate or peel the harder goat cheeses and set aside.
• Bake the Pizza
• Preheat your oven to the hottest bake setting (or 550°) and if you have a pizza stone, use it. If not, prepare a pan/cookie sheet by putting it in the oven for 5 minutes before making your pizza and then sprinkling a tablespoon of flour on the pan so the pizza won’t stick.
• To each flattened pizza dough, add enough pesto for a fairly thin layer (you want to cover the crust but you don’t want to saturate the dough) and build the pizza from there, adding the cheeses, asparagus, and chili paste. The microgreens, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar go on after the pizza is done.
• Once you assemble your pizza (go light on the sauce) put it in the oven for 3-7 minutes (see note). When done, you will see browning on the crust and the middle of the pizza should be bubbling.
• Remove from oven, add the microgreens, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar and cut and serve.