Grilled Pork, Smoked Trout & Chicken Pizza with Basil Pesto Cream Sauce

A Perfect Match With Chardonel wine from FireClay Cellars, Siler City NC

In honor of the recent release of Chardonel by my good friends at FireClay Cellars, located in Siler City, NC, https://fireclaycellars.com/ I have created a very special signature pizza with ingredients specifically selected to pair with this interesting white wine. For those who are not aware, Chardonel is a hybrid created from Chardonnay and Seyval Blanc. This late ripening white wine grape is truly a blank canvas allowing the winemaker enormous flexibility in order to shape the resulting flavor profile. If a winemaker chooses to age their Chardonel in oak, the wine has a rich, creamy character with notes of oak, apple and subtle spice. Chardonel wines made in an un-oaked style feature more citrus and apple notes with a light, crisp finish.

For this particular recipe, a few tips. First don't be intimidated by the number of ingredients and their diversity. The all play well with each other and the wine. The smokiness of the trout at the back of the palate, combined with the spiciness of the pork is balanced by the acidity of the wine with the texture of the julienned apples (and additional acidity) a welcome surprise.

Secondly, don't be scared of the red onion, even if you are an onion hater. One of my closest friends who is a self professed onion hated proclaimed his love for this unique pizza combination.

Don't be afraid to exercise liberties with the ingredients. If you want to make pizza crust from scratch or by pre made dough (I recommend Trader Joes herb version) be my guest. If you want to grill your own chicken (instead of from a can like I did) you will merely add another level of flavor that will result in more depth and complexity.

The ingredients for this pizza are readily available in most grocery stores. The following recipe will make you one scrumptious 8 inch pizza or equivalent flatbread. Be adventurous and bypass the oven for your own outside grill! Just be sure and brush the grates with oil to avoid sticking.

Here is the recipe:

Grilled Pork, Smoked Trout & Chicken Pizza with Basil Pesto Cream Sauce

1 Cup grilled pork tenderloin, cubed, I used a marinated version

1 lemon, juiced

1 lime, juiced

½ Granny Smith apple, julienned

½ medium red onion, thinly sliced

½ cup water

1 12.5 oz can white premium chunk chicken breast, drained

1 3.8 oz can smoked trout

4 oz Havarti cheese, shredded

4 oz gouda, shredded

4 oz Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded

I/2 jar alfredo sauce

I/2 jar pesto sauce

Dried or fresh Rosemary to taste

Dried or fresh Tarragon to taste

1 premade pizza crusts

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine the lemon, lime juices with the water, set aside.

2. Slice the apple julienne style and immerse it in the lemon lime water from Step one.

3. Prepare your pizza crust per the recommended cooking instructions or prepare and bake fresh crust

4. Liberally cover the surface of the pizza crust with alfredo sauce using a spiral motion, sauce to taste

5. Liberally place pesto sauce on top of the alfredo sauce, I use a teaspoon and drizzle it over

6. Cover the pizza with the julienned apple

7. Using your fingers, break the chicken breast into more manageable chunks, spread the chicken across the pizza

8. Spread the julienned red onion across the pizza

9. Cover the pizza with the shredded Monterey Jack cheese

10. Chop the tenderloin into chunks, spread across the pizza

11. Using your fingers, break the smoked trout into pieces until mixture is uniform, spread over the pizza

12. Cover the pizza with shredded Havarti

13. Cover the pizza with shredded Gouda

14. Bake pizza at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until the ingredients all meld together, remember all ingredients were already precooked so you are merely melting the cheese and bringing the components together

15. Sprinkle with rosemary and/or tarragon to taste

16. Allow to slightly cool, slice and enjoy