Fruit Pizza
I clearly remember the first time I experienced “potluck angst.” Andrew and I were newlyweds living in Boise, Idaho and I was asked to bring something to share at a baby shower brunch for a co-worker. This seemingly simple request lead to a lot of internal drama as questions and worries rolled through my mind.
What should I make? What if it doesn’t turn out well? How will I transport it safely? What if no one eats my offering and I have to-gasp-bring it home?!? Isn’t that the ultimate potluck shame?
After carefully considering my options, I settled on a fruit pizza recipe from my mother’s collection. It seemed perfect; beautiful, delicious, and all around fabulous. Assuming, of course, that I didn’t burn the crust or drop it or that the entire guest list was not allegric to strawberries.
When the big day came I followed directions carefully (that tells you how serious I was) and ended up with a lovely pizza. A true work of art. I managed to transport it with no mishaps and there, on the buffet table, I hesitantly laid out my offering for all the world to judge.
But here is where my memory grows hazy; I honestly don’t remember how it was received. I’m assuming it went over well because 1) I’d probably still have emotional scars to tell you about if it had been left untouched and 2) that fruit pizza recipe truly is a winner.
fruit art by Bridger
As amazing as it is, I kind of forgot about it and it had fallen by the wayside in recent years. But now, it is back in full force. In fact, Bridger and his dad are attempting to establish a “tradition” (we believe you can’t have too many traditions and that everything can be a tradition). They think we should have fruit pizza the 2nd Sunday of every month, or maybe the 2nd and 4th. They’d try for every Sunday if they thought I’d go for that.
On warm spring days like today, they don’t have to twist my arm too hard. The flavors, the look, and the taste, all have a fresh spring feel. The buttery crust and the almond flavored cream make a delicious combo, and of course, whatever fruit is in season makes it a colorful work of art.
So if you are looking for something for a baby shower, or for the 2nd Sunday of month, or simply for a way to put a little artistic flair into your cooking, here is the recipe you have been looking for. Enjoy!
Notes about ingredients:
Flour: I mill my own grains so all my flour is fresh milled whole grains. For this recipe I use whole wheat but all-purpose flour would work as well. Using store bought whole wheat results in a denser final product when compared to my home-milled flour. If you want to use whole wheat and find it too dense you could experiement with a blend of whole wheat and all-purpose.
Sweetener: Natural sweeteners are the name of the game in my kitchen. For recipes where a granulated sugar is the best option (like this one) unrefined options include coconut sugar, palm sugar, or sucanat (which is an unrefinded cane sugar, similar to brown sugar but coarser.) I use sucanat in this recipe and simply run it through the blender to turn it into a powdered sugar.
Whipped Cream: Homemade whipped cream is so much better than the stuff in the little carton! And it is easy. Put cold cream in a bowl of a stand mixer and whip it like crazy until it becomes the consistency you desire. A hand held mixer works as well. (You could do it by hand with a wisk and lots of muscle if you are looking for a good arm workout.) Add a splash of pure maple syrup to get the sweetness you desire. In this recipe it is going to be blended with other sweet stuff so I don’t even bother with the syrup.
Fruit: Use whatever fruits-fresh or canned-you desire. Our favorites because of flavor, color, and shape inlcude any kind of berries, kiwi, and canned pinneaple rings.
Fruit Pizza
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh ground whole wheat flour (see notes in post)
- 1 cup softened butter
- 1/2 c powdered sucanat or other powdered sugar (see notes in post)
- 8 oz softened cream cheese
- 1/2 cup powdered sucanat or other powdered sugar (see notes in post)
- 1 cup fresh whipped cream (from 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- Fresh or canned fruit of your choice! The more colorful the better!
Instructions
- Blend all ingredients and press onto a greased pizza round or cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until slightly browned on edges.
- While crust is baking, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Add vanilla and almond. Fold in whipped cream.
- Spread cream on cooled crust and make a lovely design with your fruit toppings.
