Asparagus and Goat Cheese Pizza

This is a special recipe, y'all. We snagged this one from a local Blue Ridge Mountain publication called Edible Blue Ridge when we went to do our wedding tasting at our caterer's. This recipe in particular, was a feature of our caterer's, in the publication! Currey (our caterer) is an awesome person to work with, so I've been excited at the prospect of giving this recipe a shot. Plus, it features things that aren't even close to what will be on our wedding menu! And needless to say, we were nothing but impressed with the result of these pizzas. If you're hesitant to try it because it's a little time-consuming, go ahead and plan it for a night where you know you'll have the time to set aside to cook it, because this recipe is 100% worth every second of time invested in it! There's nothing quite like fresh asparagus in the summertime, so to enjoy them over a bed of dough, potatoes, and goat cheese, is as close to heavenly as you can get (admittedly, goat cheese is one of my top three favorite cheese). It's a savory flavor combination between the slightly sweet cheese, fried leeks, and the doughy bread. I just can't brag about this recipe enough and I implore you to try it!

Cooking Notes: We used regular goat cheese from TJ's as opposed to sheep's milk goat cheese that the recipe initially calls for. We also didn't have quite enough asparagus, but we made it work with what we had and still enjoyed it. We also didn't have pizza crust yeast, so we substituted regular yeast that we use in all our breads, and the dough turned out fine; however, we let the dough rise for a slightly longer time, just to make sure. Lastly, we split this up over two nights, so we made the dough in two batches of two; however, I'm including the recipe to make it all at once.

Asparagus and Goat Cheese Pizza (adapted from Beggars Banquet; serves 4)
1 lb. asparagus, woody ends removed
1/2 lb. Yukon gold potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 tsp bread yeast
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup white flour, plus 1/4 cup
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 small bunch leeks, white and light green parts only, julienned
1/4 cup cornstarch
Veggie oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and slivered
4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
Fresh cracked ground pepper
Cornmeal, for dusting

To begin, you will be blanching the asparagus. If you want a longer tutorial than what I explain below, look here: How to Blanch Asparagus.

To blanch the asparagus, warm 4 cups of water in a small pot, bringing to a simmer, blanching the asparagus spears until crisp tender. Set aside. In the same water, add the potatoes and cook until tender when forked, about 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Pour 1 cup hot water into a medium bowl. Stir in yeast to dissolve, then add 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp sea salt, and 1 cup of each flour, combining it to form the dough. Transfer the dough to a floured board, kneading until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Transfer to an olive-oil-drizzled glass bowl, rolling to coat. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes, or until double in size.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Dust your pizza stone (or two baking pans) with cornmeal. Start to make your fried-leek garnish. Toss leeks with 1/4 cup flour, cornstarch, and a pinch of salt, shaking off the excess. Heat 3 inches veggie oil in a shallow pan until hot (test with a leek until it gives a slow crackle). Once the oil is hot enough, drop in the leeks in batches, frying until crisp, about 3 minutes per group. Drain on a paper towel lined plate.

Once dough is done rising, punch down dough and shape into 4 rounds on pizza stone/baking sheets/however much room you have. Top with potato slices, then cheese, garlic slivers, and asparagus. Season with S&P and drizzle with olive oil. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes, and garnish with fried leeks and additional cheese.