Brie cheese and pear pizza

Today’s post comes from iRun reader Renee. Faithful readers of The Shuffler will know that she is my most regular running buddy and instigator of racing shenanigans. Her partner Michael is an amazing cook and baker. They came to dinner at the Shuffler household a few months ago and she asked what they could bring. My response: “Anything so long as it’s something Michael baked.” Here is her story and recipe.

My onion-hating partner made this dish – he claims that when onions are caramelized or combined with sufficient wine, they become much tastier.  This dish is apparently something he used to make when he worked at a local restaurant several years ago.  It’s richly flavoured, tastes decadent, and the combination of textures is fantastic.  We served it alongside a salad including arugula for a bit of peppery kick. Enjoy!

Pizza crust of your choosing – we like this one from Chatelaine.

Topping:
– 1 small sweet onion, finely chopped
– tsp oil
– 2 cups red wine
– salt and pepper
– soft ripe pear, sliced length wise
– Brie cheese

Instructions
1. Make pizza crust.
2. Caramelize onions.  Cook onions on medium-low heat until they become glassy; add red wine (one cup at a time) and cook until onions are reduced to a saucy-paste texture.
3. Assemble. Apply onions to crust in lieu of sauce, and top with alternating slices of pear and Brie.
4. Bake at temperature appropriate to your crust recipe – we did 400 degrees for about ten minutes or until crust was golden brown.

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