Just in time for Mother’s Day brunch, I bring you this recipe for a tasty spring pizza. Garlicky pesto, earthy potatoes, creamy fromage blanc, rich eggs, and zesty arugula are piled on a crispy crust to make this hearty pizza pie. My mother-in-law had shared some duck eggs with us, and, having never tasted them before, I thought they deserved a bit more of a special treatment than the chicken eggs I normally have. According to my mother-in-law, the duck eggs have more than twice the nutrients than a chicken egg, but also twice the cholesterol. This makes sense, as the yolks looked larger and richer than chicken eggs. If you can’t find duck eggs, though, chicken eggs would work just fine in this recipe.
The crust for this pizza was made without yeast, as I couldn’t find any in the house. It was a slightly denser texture than some crusts, but still quite good with a nice, crisp bottom. Best of all, it was sooo quick and easy to mix up.
Spring Brunch Pizza
Crust Ingredients:
Crust Ingredients
- 2 1/2 c. flour
- 2 3/4 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 T. olive oil (I used mushroom-sage flavor)
- 3/4 c. water
Topping Ingredients:
Topping Ingredients
- 1 T. olive oil
- 3 T. pesto
- 1 medium potato (I used a yellow one)
- black pepper, to taste
- 3 bulbs wild garlic or green onions, with green tops
- 2 duck eggs, or 3 chicken eggs
- 2 c. arugula or chopped spinach
- 8 oz. fromage blanc or ricotta cheese
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Mix dry crust ingredients in large bowl.
- Add water and oil. Mix until dough forms soft, not sticky, ball (add up to 1/4 c. more flour, if necessary).
Pizza Dough
- Knead on floured surface for 3 minutes.
- Spread on greased pizza pan and brush edges of crust with olive oil.
Crust in pan
- Spread pesto over crust.
Pesto on Crust
- Slice the potato as thin as you can (use a mandolin if you have one). Layer potato slices on top of pesto and sprinkle with black pepper.
The thinly sliced potatoes look pretty over the pesto.
- Chop white and green portions of wild garlic or green onions and sprinkle over potato layer.
Scallions scattered over potatoes
- Bake pizza for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, scramble eggs.
- When pizza comes out of oven, scatter scrambled eggs over crust.
The colors look like spring!
- Spread arugula leaves over eggs.
Arugula layer
- Drop fromage blanc or ricotta over arugula by spoonful.
- Bake for 10 additional minutes, or until greens are wilted and crust is lightly browned. Allow to sit for a few minutes before slicing.
The flavors of spring appear in all different elements of this pizza. You can serve it for breakfast, lunch, brunch, or dinner!
