roasted grape and goat cheese pizza

I was recently given a mountain of grapes. Out of nowhere, the grape gods opened their hearts and rained their green and red jewels upon me...so much so that we just couldn't finish them in time (before the bowl on my counter spontaneously turned into a winery)...so I had to find something else to use these little beauties for.

I do have a great love for goat cheese, in fact I would probably eat anything if the goat cheese to said "thing" ratio was high enough. But, as is commonly put into practice, goat cheese is remarkably good when paired with sweet things. Something about its creamy tang lends itself well to toning down sugars and so it was an obvious choice for a teammate in my quest to conquer the pile o' grapes.

Now, having just moved into my new favoritest place ever, I haven't exactly been baking with my usual fervor and so, no, I didn't just have a homemade pizza dough lingering around for use in this concoction. But no matter, Trader Joe's (for those of us lucky enough to have access to them) happens to carry delicious, fresh pizza dough in three (yes, THREE!) different flavors (plain, herb and whole wheat). I happen to love, love, love their whole wheat dough and thought that it would be the perfect pairing for my sweet and tart ingredients.

Now, the accessories. Grapes and goat cheese are a great start, but where's the pizazz, the color, the spice? Enter red onion, olive oil and rosemary. done.

This pizza is so simple yet completely satisfying. You can serve it as a meal perhaps with a side salad and a glass of red wine or you can make small individual ones and serve it hors d'oeuvres style (which I plan on doing at an engagement party I've been asked to help cater).

Moral of this story is put this in your repertoire of fast, easy and beautiful dishes do be done in a pinch but where there's no slacking on class.

RECIPE
roasted grape and goat cheese pizza

1 package of whole wheat pizza dough (or you can make your own)
2 cups grapes (you can use green, red or both), halved
2 oz goat cheese
2 Tbsp minced rosemary
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 sliced red onion
salt and pepper

- preheat the oven to 500 degrees
-roll out your dough into a pizza pan or cookie sheet, spread the olive oil to cover
- sprinkle grape halves and onion slices evenly over dough
- drop dabs of goat cheese evenly
-sprinkle salt, pepper and rosemary on top.
- bake in the oven for about 10-15 minutes, until the goat cheese turns golden and the crust begins to brown.