cherry tomato pizza margherita

I’ve never really considered myself to be a perfectionist, but there are some things that I always appreciate their being in a perfectly particular way. Yes, I think it sounds better that way. But let’s not obsess over the wording.

I admit I am a tiny bit adamant about one thing, though, and that is clean countertops. I think this comes from the fact that I spent much of my childhood watching both my mother and grandmother in the kitchen, and they cleaned the countertops with a towel in such an organized, elegant, and visible-results-yielding way that I’ve inherited the practice from them right along with their penchant for the fresh smell of laundry off the clothesline, senses of humor, and passions for life and family.

In fact, sometimes it’s nice to make a dough – exploding flour and all – just for the immense amount of satisfaction that comes from its clean up. This is a big part of the reason that I am very much okay with making homemade pizza dough. When I worked in a restaurant, I held an unwavering affinity for cleaning the stainless steel in the kitchen. There was just something about this results-driven activity, I loved seeing it shine when I was done with it. Plus, it made me one of the few who un-begrudgingly partook in my end of shift side work.

Hey, we all have our quirks.

When I first made Bon Appétit magazine’s Cherry Tomato Pizza Margherita, I wasn’t surprised at all. Of course it was good. The simplest ingredients, in true Italian fashion, came together to make this light, elegant, gorgeous, and rustic pizza with added pizzazz from crushed fennel seeds.

The recipe calls for a tube of refrigerated pizza dough, and I didn’t think much of it until I read reviews of the recipe at Bon Appétit’s website. A couple of comments vehemently renounced the prospect of the magazine including such a suggestion, and in turn didn’t approve of the entire recipe. Though I myself opted not to use refrigerated dough, I wasn’t offended to find the suggestion in the magazine whose tagline is to “Eat Well. Savor Life.” (a philosophy I ADORE, by the way). The latter of which is often made possible by having more time to eat well, something any worthwhile shortcut is good for. That’s not to say I wouldn’t discourage the use of tubes of refrigerated dough – I do, in fact – but only because other quality, quick and easy alternatives to making your own pizza dough are so readily available. And I’m usually very much opposed to overdoing shortcuts in the kitchen (things such as garlic presses have hit pet-peeve status for me), though this is just my personal taste. I guess what I’m getting at is that I hope you won’t write off recipes because of their simplicity, especially this one. I don’t think you will be disappointed, and I have a couple of suggestions to make sure you are not.

First is a secret – or, shall I say, previously secret to me – discovery I made recently at Whole Foods. They sell take-and-bake pizzas, but they also sell fresh balls of their pizza dough. And I’m sure this is the same at several other stores. So when you aren’t in the mood to get out the mixer and wipe the counter free of scattered flour, this is a perfect alternative. It is absolutely delicious. Pick it up the day you plan to make your pizza or a couple of days before and it’s just as good as homemade, in my opinion.

Also, there are many bakeries that sell similar dough. This is a shortcut that I don’t mind, because it is deliciously worthwhile. With the dough taken care of, all that’s left for preparation is charring the tomatoes in a skillet, dicing up the cheese, tearing the basil, and throwing it together.

Besides the variation on the dough, I also opted this time round to grill the pizza. This is especially fantastic in the warmer summer months when you would rather not heat up the house by baking for the recommended 25 to 30 minutes. Also, the cook time is cut in half, at least, when thrown onto a flaming grill.

The dough I used was also not my prized secret shortcut, but another that I found at my local farmer’s market. A local yet expanding bakery, Le Quartier Baking Company, sells whole wheat pizza crust (crust vs. dough; thus not requiring any rolling out or shaping on your part) in addition to their other artisan breads and pastries. The crust is whole wheat, its few ingredients shouting from the label and keeping with the simple fashion of this recipe: white unbleached flour, stone-ground whole wheat flour, water, olive oil, sea salt, and yeast. It held up especially well on the grill.

I started off by toasting the crust a bit first, just a minute or so on each side.

For the top ingredients, charring the tomatoes is a surprisingly simple way to add a burst of flavor to these already delectable little reds.

Whole milk mozzarella and fresh mozzarella seem like they ought to have been one of those perfect pairs allowed onto Noah’s ark, and something tells me they might have been. Add a little basil and I doubt even the heartiest appetites will miss the meat from this pizza.

And I think that the crushed fennel seeds add the perfect amount of what-is-that?-flavor, and is a step that should not be skipped.

Since the ingredients are so simple, it is important to season every layer – adding salt and pepper to the tomatoes as they char in the pan, and then to the tomatoes again when you add the crushed fennel seeds and garlic to the bowl. The flavors are subtle, and boy do they fit perfectly with summertime. But maybe I’m being too particular. Heck, this pizza has to be perfect in any season. I say, take the reigns of the seasoning on this one. Be wild and add a little more garlic, if you’d like, and make a mess. I’ll be right behind you cleaning up the countertops.

You can find the recipe online, here.