For a while I had the only kids on the planet who wouldn't eat pizza. Anything with tomato sauce was not on the short list of foods they would deign to try -- a real hardship whenever we visited the Italian side of the family. So I got into the habit of making one "normal" pizza for my husband and me and another "white" pizza with nothing but cheese and crust for the kids.
(The way I looked at it, cooking separate dishes wasn't so much a case of bending to their will as it was acknowledging that my usually-compliant kids had sensory issues with some foods. And that from an early age, if they didn't like what was for dinner, they'd just get up and make themselves a snack anyway.)
One day I decided to try adding a topping I knew they already liked -- apples. My apple pizza was inspired by an open-faced cheese melt sandwich I used to order at a favorite Greenwich Village bistro, which in my memory at least could be ordered with pears or bananas. Unlike apple pie, the spices I used leaned more towards savory than sweet, and I don't use sugar. The result was amazing!
I wish I could say my kids were blown away by Mom's invention, and instantly began trying everything I put in front of them. In reality, they still preferred their pizza plain. However, I can report that this dish has always been a hit with the other people's kids when I bring it to potluck suppers. And since this is the season when a lot of folks are wondering what to do with all those apples they lugged home from the U-Pick-It orchard, I thought I'd share my apple pizza hack with GeekMom readers.
Making apple pizza is ridiculously easy:
- Coat your crust (I use a half-whole-wheat dough I make in the bread machine) with a little olive oil.
- Sprinkle on some grated cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, or a combination work equally well).
- Cover the cheese with a layer of peeled apple slices.
- Add traditional apple-pie spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. You can also use cumin and cardamon for more bite.
- Top with more cheese. Bake in a hot oven (450 degrees F) until browned, about 12 minutes.
- Enjoy!
