Hot Honey Duck Pizza

Hot Honey Duck Pizza with pear, caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, and herbed ricotta. It’s a long title but well-deserving once you take a bite. You could easily replace the duck with elk, steak, or any other meat that will hold its own with deep flavor. The only thing that makes this pizza better is enjoying it with good friends and beers.

A side note about eating duck. There are more than twenty native duck species in North America. They have different flavors and of course, there is a debate about what tastes best. Just like fish, sourcing, care and preparation are more important than species.

Tools:

• Pizza Oven (your regular oven will do but a pizza oven is the right tool if you have one)

• Pizza accessories; peel, cutter.

• Chef Knife

• Cutting Board (or 2)

• Pan ( I always prefer cast iron)

• Bowls

Ingredients:

• 2 Teal duck breast

• 1 lb pizza dough

• 4 tbsp. salted butter

• 4 cloves of garlic or 2 tbsp. garlic paste (garlic paste is great for this)

• 1/2 cup low-moisture mozzarella cheese

• 1/2 cup full-fat ricotta

• 1 tbsp. each of fresh flat-leaf parsley, rosemary, and thyme

• 1 yellow onion

• 8 oz. Baby Bella mushrooms

• 1 ripe pear (Bosc was used but any ripe pear will work)

• Hot Honey (store-bought or homemade)

• 1/4 cup kosher salt

• Avocado oil

• S&P

How To:

• Make brine for duck

  • Dissolve 1/4 cup kosher salt in 4 cups water. Keep duck in brine as your prep other ingredients (30 min minimum)

• Preheat the pizza oven to the hottest it will go (don’t forget to turn it down as you place the pizza in the oven)

• Prepare each ingredient and get it ready for assembly

  • Sautee mushrooms

  • Slice and caramelize onions. Looking for a deep golden brown.

  • Mince herbs (thyme, parsley, and rosemary). Stir into ricotta and add pepper (fine) and a pinch of salt.

  • Thinly slice pear

  • melt butter and add garlic

  • Pat dry brined duck, add S&P, and flash sear (should be rare inside) in oil.

• Roll out pizza dough. This should be enough to make two, thin-crust pizzas.

• Assembly

  • Add garlic butter to rolled dough

  • Place sliced pears and duck down

  • Add a dusting of mozzarella cheese

  • Add mushrooms, onions, and dollops of ricotta on top

  • Bake until the bottom crust is firm and the top is crispy (a little char is delicious)

  • Top with hot honey

  • Let cool for a minute, slice, and enjoy!

  Tip:

• If you choose to use an alternative protein, use something that you can eat rare to medium-rare.