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Apple Pizza with Caramelized Onions and Crispy Sage in Brown Butter (The Johnny Apple Cheese Pizza)

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When pumpkin mania swept the blog world this past Fall, I tried to turn a blind eye and some days I even covered my ears, while chanting, “I’m not listening.” I’m super duper mature, says the girl who just typed out the words super duper. I promise never to do that again.

Apple Pizza with Caramelized Onions, Crispy Sage & Brown Butter

If you know me, you realize pumpkin has never been high on my food list, despite the three pumpkins currently hiding out in a cool dark corner of my basement. I have big plans to have a cooking party one weekend here soon. I get roasted and so does my squash. It’s a win-win in my book. Of course what I’ll ultimately do with all my newly baked and pureed squash (the pumpkins are just the tip of the iceberg down there) is beyond me. I have no plans beyond the cooking and drinking part.      

Back to the pumpkins. Unless they’re a Halloween decoration, I find them to be weird. They have a mushy texture and overconsumption ultimately turns people into a lovely shade of Oompa Loompa. I am of the fair skinned, or the more pleasurable porcelain variety, and an overzealous tan just doesn’t work with my complexion, not to mention how it washes out my hair. We certainly can’t have that.       

The almighty apple, on the other hand, is a different story, and my adoration has absolutely nothing to do with the mountain of apples which keep arriving in my weekly CSA; nothing at all (cough, lies and deceit, cough). Packed with vitamin C and loaded with soluble fiber, or at the very minimum it contains those things, it’s been touted as the one who can keep the doctor away. That’s an impressive prophesy if you ask me. Surely pumpkin can’t make those same claims.

Apple Pizza with Crispy Sage in a Borwn Butter Sauce and Caramelized Onions

I prefer to get my apples, or my precious if you’re into Tolkien and prophesies, direct from the farmers, either through my CSA or from the local markets. There’s something magical about their apples, even the ones with a questionable exterior. In fact, the ones with bumps and warts are more often than not the most flavorful.

Think of their back story too. Nobody wants a perfect princess apple, a diva in disguise, demanding additional brown sugar and butter, without even lifting a finger to get it herself. We want apples that have lived a little and worked for their crunchy texture and explosive flavor. We want apples with character, dammit.

These apples have character and so does this glorious Pizza, which showcases the vibrancy of the apple like no other. Allow me to introduce my Apple Pizza with Caramelized Onions and Crispy Sage in a Brown Butter Sauce. It’ll make you say Pumpkin who? 

Apple Pizza with Caramelized Onions and Crispy Sage in Brown Butter (Johnny Apple Cheese)
This glorious pizza showcases the vibrancy of apples. It's easy, flavorful, texturally sound, and a wee bit different, which is a great thing in my book.
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
30 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
30 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 Pizza Dough
  2. 1/2 cup Caramelized Onions (http://www.shockinglydelicious.com/crock-pot-caramelized-onions-slow-and-steady-does-the-trick/)
  3. 2 small Apples, sliced thinly
  4. 2 Tbsp. Butter
  5. 3 Tbsp. Sage
  6. 1/2 cup each of Cheddar, Mozzarella, and Asiago cheese, all shredded
  7. Salt and Pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425 (or according to your pizza dough directions).
  2. Stretch out your pizza dough into desired shape.
  3. Melt your butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add sage and cook until butter just begins to brown and sage gets crispy, about 3 to 7 minutes depending on heat level of your stove. Set aside.
  4. Top your dough with caramelized onions, spreading them out over the entire thing. Lay your sliced apples on top of the onions. I lay mine in a circular pattern, starting in the center and working my way to the outer edges. I also reserve a few slices for presentation. Drizzle two-thirds of the butter and sage mixture over the apples and onions. Top pizza with shredded cheese. Pour the remaining butter and sage mixture over the top and place remaining apple slices in a pin wheel design in the center. Sprinkle a touch of salt and pepper over the entire thing.
  5. Bake pizza for 10 to 18 minutes, depending on your pizza dough directions. The cheese will start to bubble and brown when it's done.
  6. Remove from oven, let cool for 5 minutes and then enjoy.
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There is something special about pizza in general. It’s easy breezy carefree nature appeals to the Friday night cook in all of us. The “I’m exhausted after putting in a full week at the office, and I want something ridiculously simple, yet deliciously flavorful with a dollop of nutritional benefits.” This pizza covers all those bases, especially in the taste department. 

Apples and cheese are an age old combination for good reason. They go really well together, and the same could be said for butter and sage. Combining all four of these ingredients in a single place creates a melting pot of magic. Yes, I’m still talking about food.

Apple Pizza with Caramelized Onions, Crispy Sage in Brown Butter and Cheddar

Same great pizza made on a different day with orange cheddar cheese. I like mixing it up.

You get sweet and salty, crispy and crunchy, coupled with doughy and delicious. It’s all the flavors and all the textures, hanging out in one place. It’s everything you want in a single bite. Do yourself a favor and forget about those crazy pumpkins (or bring them to my roasting party), get yourself some apples, and put them on a pizza. You won’t regret it. I promise.

This post is being shared with Sprint 2 The Table’s Strange But Good because that’s my girl. Plus apples on a pizza. Hello? Totally strange and so worth it. It’s also being brought to the table at the following fabulous parties: She Eats Fresh Food Wednesdays, Anyonita Nibbles Tasty Tuesday’s, Hun… What’s for Dinner’s Simply Supper Tuesday’s, Buns in my Oven What’s Cookin’ Wednesday and The Novice Gardener’s Fiesta Friday.

Tell me, have you ever put fruit on a pizza? Would you? Could you?  

Comments

  2. natasha says

    Ha, ha…I’m an apple freak even as a kid! Nowadays I can’t wait until the market and my goal each week is to pick a few new-to-me varieties and yes, the not so pretty ones are the best. I always take them because I feel badly for them and know no one else will.

    As for pumpkin…I”m all kabocha over here…much drier and creamier if that makes sense.

    Reply

  3. Sarah Pie says

    Confession I was eating a homemade pumpkin waffle while I read this… forgive me? 🙂
    That being said I was totally planning on making this tonight as soon as I saw the recipe, until I realized I would need to go out and get pretty much everything except the butter, apples, and cheese… sooo maybe not tonight but this weekend for sure! Can’t wait to try it out.
    Sarah Pie recently posted…25th Birthday Shenanigans PLUS a giveaway!My Profile

    Reply

  8. caren says

    I’m with you. I could totally do without pumpkin, although I don’t really have anything against them. Apples….now that’s a much better choice.

    Reply

  9. Stephanie says

    Stopppp ittt! This is awesome. I’ve never seen or heard of anything like this, and I’m thinking I should run to the store and try it right now. Caramelized onions are the way to my heart, I just wrote a post all about caramelizing them perfectly! Combine that with apples and browned butter? In a cheesy pizza? Seriously?! It sounds SO flippin’ good. You deserve an award for this- I’m not even kidding. I brought stuffed mushrooms to Fiesta Friday……. booooorrriiinngggg. You win!
    Stephanie recently posted…(The BEST) Stuffed MushroomsMy Profile

    Reply

  10. Tracy @ Scratch It says

    Giirrlll, I am soooo with you with the pumpkins. Although I like pumpkin, I am not a PSL fan and do not go into pumpkin mania in the fall. Apples though? YES. Yes, please. Actually Stephanie my FF co-host and I used to work at an apple orchard in NH when we were in middle school so to me, fall means apples. And now, fall means this apple pizza!! Homemade pizza is on the top of my love list and I’ve never had it with apples – I MUST try this. Apples. Cheddar. Caramelized Onions. Crispy sage brown butter?! Sold. Thank you so much for bringing it to Fiesta Friday!! 😀

    Reply

  13. Tara says

    I was sad/surprised to see the measurement “1/2 cup” and the word “cheese” near each other in your recipe. “That is an absurdly small amount of cheese to put on a pizza,” I thought, “especially one made by Meghan.” My faith was restored when I realized I had misread and it called for 1/2 cup each of 3 different cheeses. Muuuch better.

    Reply

  14. Hilda says

    You and all those commenting have given me so many great pizza ideas. Thanks for a great post and getting the discussion of pizza toppings going at this week’s fiesta.

    Reply

  15. Amanda @ .running with spoons. says

    Your hatred of the orange squash amuses me to no end 😆 And I think you’ll be happy to know that it’s been about a month since I had my last taste of anything pumpkin related… although that’s more due to necessity than choice. Seeeeee, I had a feeling squashes were giving me some stomach issues so I cut them out to see if I was right… and I was. Stop being so smug. I still love them. My stomach just doesn’t always agree with my good taste 😛
    Amanda @ .running with spoons. recently posted…. double chocolate chip oatmeal cookies .My Profile

    Reply

  20. Angie says

    Apples are waaaay better than pumpkins! I still do pumpkin since it’s nutritious, but I don’t go overboard the way I do with apples. Which brings me to your pizza! You can not be serious! You are so creative! I will make this, I promise! I actually had some apples & Gruyere pizza once, in some restaurant, and I was intrigued then, but yours takes it up another notch with caramelized onions. Sounds so yum! I’ll add bacon, too, but you won’t approve of that, lol…
    Angie recently posted…Courtesan au Chocolat | Fiesta Friday #42My Profile

    Reply

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