Hood Strawberry Balsamic Pizza

Yesterday I drove 45 minutes north on the 101 to Warrenton to buy Hood strawberries from
“the strawberry guy” at a roadside stand. Hood strawberries are the best. The creme de la crème. If you know you know. And if you don’t, I’m here to tell you. Hood strawberries or “hoodies” (yes, named after Mt. Hood) are the sweetest, reddest and most juicy flavorful Oregon strawberries you’ll ever taste. Once you’ve tried hoodies you may well become obsessed. The exceptional flavor of Hood strawberries no doubt comes from its high sugar content and the Hood’s beauty comes from its deep red color throughout. The obsession is heightened because Hoods are only available for two to three weeks at the beginning of berry season. They are also very perishable, meaning you’re forced to eat everything strawberry as quickly as possible. The race is on!

I did, of course, sample the strawberries on my return trip while contemplating what I was going to do with the berries. While driving along the beautiful Oregon Coast, I remembered that I had a pizza dough ball in the freezer from The Blue Scorcher Bakery Café in Astoria and decided to make my annual Strawberry Balsamic Pizza for dinner. (Side note that the very first blog I wrote was about this pizza: Addicted to Berry Picking.. Take a look - you’ll see that my pizza looks a bit different every time!) I found the spicy-sweet pizza recipe years ago on a website called The Café Sucre Farine and have been making it once a year since.

When I tell people I make a strawberry pizza they typically ask if it’s a dessert pizza. No is the answer. But it could be dinner and dessert. It’s a spicy, salty-sweet pizza chock full of intriguing flavor. Chicken, bacon, sweet onion, cilantro and cheese on top of a sauce made from strawberry jam, balsamic vinegar and Sriracha chili sauce.

Here’s my slightly adapted version that I now call:

Hood Strawberry Balsamic Pizza

Ingredients:

½ cup strawberry jam
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Sriracha chili sauce
1 cup diced or shredded chicken breast
½ cup applewood smoked bacon
½ cup chopped sweet onion
6-8 ounces cheese
¼ cup or more fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Handful of fresh basil, chopped
Fresh Hood strawberries, diced small

Notes on ingredients:

Strawberry Jam: My favorite strawberry jam is still the freezer jam recipe from the Sure-Jell package. You can also make the low-sugar variety if you prefer. Luckily, I had a jar in the freezer waiting for me.

Chicken: You can use whatever chicken you want. Rotisserie works great. I had leftover chicken breast in the fridge that I had baked the night before with olive oil and salt and pepper. Chop or shred into small pieces.

Bacon: I used applewood smoked bacon, but you can use your favorite bacon.

Cheese: The recipe calls for an Italian blend of shredded cheese. I make it a rule not to buy pre-shredded cheeses. I had Monterey Jack and Parmesan at home so used those. Mozzarella or other Italian cheeses would be great as well. The original recipe calls for 12 oz. I find that to be too heavy for a thin crust. Just eyeball the amount!

Herbs: I went heavy on the cilantro and added some fresh basil because why not. I would even add a little mint. Should’ve done that.

Strawberries: The original recipe calls for ¼ cup of diced berries. But, this is called a strawberry pizza! I spread one of those little green baskets full of berries over my pizza. The strawberries are spread on top of the pizza after baking, so you want a deliciously ripe variety.

Directions:

Make the sauce: Place balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan. Bring the balsamic vinegar to a boil in small saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer 5-6 minutes. It should be thick and syrupy. Then add strawberry jam and Sriracha and mix well. Remove from burner to cool.
Combine chicken with 3-4 tablespoons of the balsamic-strawberry mixture and mix to coat all chicken with sauce. Set aside.
Assemble the pizza. I’m of the belief that you can layer your ingredients any ole way you like. I actually made two oblong thin-crust pizzas and baked on quarter sheet pans. Brush the dough with a little olive oil and top with the rest of the strawberry balsamic sauce. Next, I covered with Jack cheese. Just a good sprinkling, not too heavy. Then I added the bacon, chicken and onion topped with Parmesan cheese.
Bake at 500 degrees for 10 or so minutes. This will totally depend on your crust thickness and what you’re baking your pizza on. I don’t have a pizza stone so typically I preheat a baking sheet. The recipe calls for using parchment paper on a baking sheet for ease of transferring from one surface to the next, but the crust doesn’t crisp up enough and you can’t really go over 425 or 450 degrees. I’ve been wanting to buy a Baking Steel to make pizzas. These appear to yield better crispy crust results than a pizza stone. I’ll let you know when I try it!
Remove pizza from oven and place on a cutting board or pizza peel. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro, basil and fresh diced strawberries. Cut into squares and get ready for a unique spicy-sweet, delectable pizza.

Hope you try this. It is truly a one-of-a-kind tasting pizza and it’s a great way to showcase your hoodies that’s not dessert! Which brings me to … dessert or maybe strawberry scones and then strawberry dessert. In any case, here are some more strawberry photos for inspiration.