Bakin’ with Bacon and King Teddy

Hello Bacon Fans!   Happy “almost St. Pat’s Day” and welcome to the Castle kitchen!

Today’s recipe isn’t GREEN but it has some green in it – if you choose to use it.  There is fresh thyme in the recipe – that counts right???!!!!     I’ll tell you right now before you see what I’m making for you today that this might sound like a very unusual recipe and maybe it is………but it’s an option for you if you are tired of the “same old/same old” appetizers or you have some special friends you want to make a little something different for.     These are – well – yummy in the tummy as we say around here!

Bacon-Peach Pizzas

 

INGREDIENTS:    (recipe makes FOUR appetizers)

1 ready-made pizza dough

4 slices bacon – thick cut or regular (as usual you can add more or less)

1 tablespoon all purpose flour

1 cup olive oil

1/2 cup ricotta

2 teaspoons chopped thyme (optional but adds a nice flavor)

Ground black pepper to tasste

20 slices of fresh peach (fresh are BEST – canned are too “wet” !!)

1/2 cup grated parmesan

4 tablespoons olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C). Line baking sheet with foil.
2. After bacon is fried, break up into small bits..
3. Place 1 dough quarter on a work surface and lightly dust with flour; roll into a 1/8-inch-thick shaped crust (round or square or something irregular – doesn’t matter!). Stretch dough with your hands to an even thickness; let rest on the work surface for 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining other three pieces of dough.
4. Heat about 1 cup olive oil, reaching about 1/2-inch depth, in a heavy cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Fry each piece of dough until browned and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. The first side will be lighter than the second side. Drain the crusts on paper towels.
5. Transfer pizza crusts, lighter-side up, to prepared baking sheets. Spread about 2 tablespoons ricotta cheese onto each crust using the back of a spoon. Sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme over ricotta layer. Sprinkle bacon bits over the ricotta-thyme layer; season with black pepper. Nestle about 5 peach slices onto each mini-pizza and sprinkle 1 tablespoon Parmesan over each pizza. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on top.
6. Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted and peaches are lightly browned and tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool pizzas for 5 to 10 minutes on the baking sheet.

YES I know it sounds a little weird…………..sometimes the yummiest things and strangest combinations make for the very best and most interesting snacks!     You know I’m right!

Have a Green Beer on me!!!!   Happy St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow………..

Hugs from the Castle…….King Teddy