My inspiration for this “pizza of the year” was to create a pizza that
had never been done before. It’s layered, flaky, crisp and light.
| My inspiration for this “pizza of the year” was to create a pizza that had never been done before. It’s layered, flaky, crisp and light. As on any pizza, the addition or subtraction of any toppings is variable on taste and availability; but this pizza is best with traditional lasagna toppings: a mixture of ground beef and sausage for the heartiness, fresh Italian mozzarella, aromatic basil leaves, and a great tomato-based sauce. I named it after the popular cartoon cat Garfield, because everyone knows he was born at an Italian restaurant and only eats lasagna. |
| Ingredients: 2 packages frozen, thawed puff pastry dough 3/4 lb fresh mozzarella, sliced 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese 2 cups tomato sauce 1/2 lb seared ground beef 1/2 lb seared ground Italian sausage (removed from casing) Fresh basil 1 garlic clove finely chopped 1 tbsp butter |
| Preparation Preheat oven to 450 F. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin to 1/2-inch thickness, stretching corners with your hands to form desired shape. Keep moving the dough so it does not warm up. It is important for the puff pastry to remain cool. Place it on pizza pan. Roll out second package of puff dough to same shape and size. Trim 1 inch off entire dough and with an egg wash, lightly brush the perimeter of the crust #1. Adhere 1-inch crusts to entire pizza forming a border. Keep remaining dough for further use to create “lasagna” effect. Dock (poke holes in) lower layer of the crust, to prevent it from puffing. Season the pizza crust with fresh garlic, butter, coarse salt, and Parmesan cheese. Blind bake the pie dough for 10 minutes until lightly golden and slightly puffed. Remove from oven. Layer fresh mozzarella, basil leafs, ground beef and sausage mixture and just enough sauce to slightly cover a thin layer. Place remaining dough (#2) over the toppings, fitting it within the crust and return to the oven for 10 minutes at 375 F. Allow pizza to continue cooking until the second layer has puffed and become golden brown. Remove from oven and put a further topping of fresh mozzarella, basil, sauce (light), and Parmesan. |
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