Learning Patience for Pizza

I suppose all good chefs have bad days and dishes that flop. People who are mediocre chefs, like myself, have a lot of these. Does this look like pizza dough to you?

Hint: it is not. This is watery failure number 2.

I bought an all-purpose gluten-free flour mix that claimed it could be used to make pizza dough. It claimed you could substitute it cup for cup for regular flour. It made lots of claims. What I did not see because my sister threw away the bag before I could read it was that it claimed you would need some xanthan gum for said substitutions. Luckily for me I did not figure this out until I'd made two attempts on two different days and used up all my expensive flour and driven to the store to buy more and then read the package to see what I had missed. Then I saw that xanthan gum was $10 a package and I just broke down and bought a gluten-free pizza crust mix.

This was so much easier. I ditched the bread machine and made it by Kitchenaid and everything went according to plan. All I had to add to the mix was eggs and oil and water. Simple. Bob's Red Mill mixes and flours and grains come in several varieties and I've been able to find them at both my local health food store and our bigger grocery stores. I've also heard great reviews of Pamela's Products which I will have to test out soon.

Fun fact: the eggs I used to make this pizza crust were from my own home-grown free-range happily quacking ducks.

A few weeks ago I was perusing the deals at Grocery Outlet and found a small bottle of white truffle oil for $2. I've never tasted or used truffle oil but people are always raving about it, specifically on food TV, so I thought it would be a fun challenge. I snatched up a bottle and began devising a plan.

There is a fantastic restaurant in Midtown Sacramento just blocks from my best friend's apartment called Hot Italian that I have cheated with wheat in on several occasions. They serve up pizzas piled high with lots of fresh greens and I've been meaning to attempt a recreation at home that wouldn't offend my intolerant tummy. I settled on a fresh mozzarella with arugula and truffle oil pizza. I smothered the finished product with parmesan and red pepper flakes and poured a nice glass of red wine and was a very happy girl.

Fresh Mozzarella with Arugula and White Truffle Oil Pizza
1 package gluten-free pizza crust, prepared according to directions (Pamela's, Bob's Red Mill, etc...the Bob's mix made two crusts but I was only eating for one so I saved the other ball of dough in the fridge)
1/3 can organic pizza sauce
fresh mozzarella, sliced (I used about 8 thick slices, vary it depending on your love of cheese)
1/2 bunch arugula

white truffle oil

I slathered a thick layer of pizza sauce on the crust and strategically placed the mozzarella so that when it melted it would cover everything. I put the pizza in for about 16 minutes, then turned on the broiler for 3 minutes so the cheese would get all nice and crispy brown.

While the pizza was cooking, I washed the arugula and broke off some of the longer stems (aside from broccoli, I hate the stems of greens). I threw the arugula in a bowl and drizzled truffle oil all over it, tossing the greens around so they were all coated. When the pizza came out I threw the arugula on top and devoured almost the entire thing. So yummy and it reminded me of the trip to Italy I took in January.

I have big plans for the remaining ball of dough in my fridge to become a delicious dessert pizza. My dream is to involve a raspberry chocolate thanks to a misunderstanding with the health food checkout counter guy. Stay tuned!

Bon appetit...just not wheat!