Friday night, as I was biking home from work wondering what to make for dinner, I took a mental inventory of what was in my fridge that I can make into a meal. I knew I had 1/3 bag of shredded mozzarella, a ball of buffalo mozzarella, ham, and some frozen bacon. I decided to make a quick pit stop at Trader Joe's* thinking I'd make a pizza, what better way to get rid of all that mozzarella cheese. I then thought about what flavors go with ham, and tomato sauce and ham didn't seem like it would go well together. So perhaps another sauce would work. I had a flashback to a brunch I had a couple months earlier at my neighborhood Café Aquarius--I had an Eggs Benedict Pizza.
I ended up making a hollandaise sauce (in lieu of tomato sauce), which started with with 3 egg yolks, 3 tablespoons of butter in a small bowl. I brought some water to a low boil and put the bowl of butter and egg yolks in it, forming something of a double boiler. I whipped that well with a fork, and after a bit, added a bit of salt, pepper, and cayenne. Normally when making a hollandaise sauce, you want it to get to about 140 degrees, but since I was baking the pizza, it wasn't a concern.
Next step was rolling out the pizza dough. I used the Trader Joe's Garlic and Herb dough and let it rest first for about 20 minutes before working it to a nice rectangle that fit my cookie sheet.
I nuked a few slices of bacon in the microwave between paper towels. This is a great way to cook bacon and absorb some of the fat, and not make your house smell like bacon (which isn't always a bad thing) or cause a hot greasy mess on the stove. I also saved the 3 egg whites and lightly cooked them in a frying pan with olive oil and a dash of salt.
Assembly Time
- Preheat oven to 450-degrees
- So pizza dough is spread out on the cookie sheet (lightly greased).
- Spread the hollandaise sauce evenly.
- Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese lightly.
- Cut a few slices of ham into strips or pieces, and distribute a layer.
- Cut or break the bacon into pieces and distribute.
- Place pieces of the cooked egg whites.
- Slice the ball of buffalo mozzarella and lay over the pizza (or sprinkle more shredded mozzy).
- Top with sliced grape-tomatoes.
- Place in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until the crust feels crusty and the cheese gets some color.
When its done, let it rest for a few minutes, then transfer to a cutting board. Cut in whatever fun way you like and enjoy a wonderful breakfast pizza for dinner... or breakfast or lunch.
*Trader Joe's co-owner, Theo Albrecht, passed away at 88 years of age on Saturday, July 24, 2010. He was one of Forbes Magazine's 20 Richest People. Read more about Theo Albrecht's passing...
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