Blue Ribbon Group Best Dessert Pizza
Minnesota State Fair Winner Combines Pears, Pecans, Gorgonzola & Raspberry Honey
This Best Dessert Pizza Winner from the Minnesota State Fair combines sliced pears, pecans and raspberry honey, with four cheeses: gorgonzola, provolone, mozzarella, and cream cheese. Place this perfectly balanced and winning ingredient combination on top of a superb home-baked crust, and you have a blue ribbon winner! It’s a favorite we recently pulled from our archives.
Lynda Decker entered this creation and won first place honors in a Fleischmann’s Yeast contest for Best Dessert Pizza, back in 2013! It was displayed in refrigerator cases at the fair for all to see.
Prepare to be wowed. This dessert pizza is a crowd pleaser, yet unique enough to win your foodie friends over.
Here’s Lynda when she delivered her masterpiece to the Minnesota State Fair:
The crust rivaled the best we have ever tried. You coat it with butter and brown sugar, which is a terrific twist. On top is a cream-cheese-brown-sugar layer, then comes pecans, sliced pear, onion, and bacon pieces, along with the multiple cheeses and a hint of honey.
Lynda said she used a flavored honey from her farmer’s market, but that plain honey works too.
Sign me up! This is the best dessert pizza for a potluck or your next dinner party’s dessert table. Trust me, you will want this one in regular rotation!
At winner selection, Minnesota State Fair Judge Mary Bartz shared her expert opinion about the pizza: a powerful combination…a savory and fruity sweet topping over a thin, tender, yet chewy crust…a dynamic result!
There were a wonderful array of pizzas entered, so the judges had a tough job.
If you like this pizza winner, be sure to try this one also. It is yet another impressive one, but from the Wisconsin State Fair.
-Cyndi
Best Dessert Pizza Winner:
Pear, Gorgonzola & Raspberry Honey Dessert Pizza
Crust:
1 (3/4 ounce) package pizza crust yeast
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup lukewarm water
1/2 cup lukewarm milk
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon butter, melted
3 1/2 – 4 cups all-purpose flour
Toppings
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 pears (any variety) thinly sliced
1/4 cup onion, shaved or thinly sliced
1/4 cup bacon pieces
1/4 cup gorgonzola cheese crumbs
1/2 cup provolone/mozzarella shredded cheese blend
1/4 cup pecan pieces
1/4 cup raspberry honey
For Crust: In a medium bowl, stir to dissolve yeast and brown sugar in warm water, let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in milk, salt, and melted butter. Add flour one cup at a time until 3 cups have been incorporated. Place dough on lightly floured work surface. Knead in additional 1/2 to 1 cup flour for 5 minutes. Roll into a ball, lightly oil the surface and place in a bowl covered with plastic wrap and a towel. Let rise in the refrigerator for 2 hours to overnight. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Remove dough from bowl and roll into pizza crust shape. (For a thinner crust, use half of the dough.) Brush crust lightly with oil and bake 5 minutes or until slightly brown. Remove from oven.
For Toppings: In a small bowl, mix together cream cheese and brown sugar until smooth. Spread over warm crust. Top with onions, pears, bacon, pecan, and cheeses. Return to the oven and bake 8-10 minutes until cheese is melted and slightly brown. Remove from oven. Drizzle with honey. Cut and enjoy. Serves 6-10 people.
–Recipe from Lynda Decker, Minnesota State Fair Winner, 2013 Fleischmann’s Yeast Contest
