Ciabatta Pizza With Gorgonzola, Walnut Pesto, And Pears

  • 12

Ingredients

  • 2 cups walnuts
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 loaf ciabatta bread - (abt 1 1/3 lbs) halved horizontally
  • 10 ounces thinly-sliced Havarti cheese
  • 6 ounces thinly-sliced prosciutto cut crosswise
  • into strips
  • 2 pears halved, cored, and thinly sliced
  • 2/3 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
  • 2 cups arugula

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toast nuts on baking sheet until brown, about 6 minutes. Maintain oven temperature. Transfer hot nuts to processor. Add oil, honey, and thyme; blend until nuts are finely chopped. Season pesto to taste with salt and pepper.

Place bread halves, cut-side up, on baking sheet. Spread pesto over bread, about 1 cup per side. Top with Havarti. Bake until bubbly and golden, about 12 minutes. Top with prosciutto, then pears and Gorgonzola. Tuck in arugula. Sprinkle with pepper.

This recipe yields 12 appetizer or 6 main-course servings.