Hi my name is Brandy and I am addicted to competitive cooking shows. There is something about people frantically preparing a dish as if their life solely depended on it, I love it. Chopped, Master Chef, The Next Food Network Star – they all have my heart. (Along with Project Runway and my dirty little secret Dance Moms, but we won’t talk about that.). Last night I channeled my coveted cooking shows and stared into my fridge and pantry as if they were a mystery basket. In the background I could hear Ted Allen saying “in your basket you have frozen pizza dough, lemons, basil and cheese.” Yes, easiest mystery basket ever but hey, I am an amateur level competitor at best.
This was definitely a meal made from a very sparse “need to make a trip to the grocery” kitchen. Luckily we had one frozen pizza crust left in the freezer and a variety of cheeses to chose from (including the asiago leftover from this antipasto salad). Of course cheese and pizza crust are good on their own but once I spied the lemon I thought why not? It’s fresh, screams summer and pairs really well with goat cheese. Add some basil and we had ourselves a pretty tasty pizza. Would Graham, Giada or any of the other judges be impressed? Undoubtedly no. But my man was so I am chalking this one up as a win.
Oh pizza, how I love you so. Thanks for being so delicious and versatile.
Enjoy!
- 1 pizza crust
- 3oz goat cheese
- ½ cup shredded asiago cheese
- 1 small lemon thinly sliced (I used a mandolin)
- large handful of fresh basil (half whole leaf, half chopped)
- olive oil, salt, pepper to taste
- Preheat oven 500 degrees fahrenheit one hour before baking pizza.
- Spread pizza dough out on baking sheet and top with crumbled goat cheese, asiago and lemons. Tuck a whole basil leaf under each lemon slice.
- Bake on top rack in oven for 8 to 12 minutes or until crust is golden. (You can turn broiler on at the end for 30 to 60 seconds to get a little char on the top. Watch it though as it can burn quickly.)
- Top with chopped basil, salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil before serving.
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