COOKING FOR TWO: Pickles, Canadian bacon on pizza deliver big flavor

Thin-Crust Pickle Pizza (For The Washington Post/Scott Suchman)
Thin-Crust Pickle Pizza (For The Washington Post/Scott Suchman)


Pickles on pizza? You've probably seen this topping popping up on pies all around the country. We were inspired to create our own after tasting the "Kinda Big Dill" pie from Quad City Pizza in Mahtomedi, Minn.

The mornay sauce was adapted from Jacques Pepin's recipe in "A French Chef Cooks at Home." We reduced the yield of the sauce (and added a bit of garlic), but you may still have some leftover. Use it to make another pizza or to dress vegetables, or top eggs, chicken or fish. Also, it freezes beautifully.

We found store-bought sliced pickles too thick for this use, so we bought whole dill pickles and sliced them to about 1/8-inch thickness.

Make the pizza vegetarian or add thinly sliced Canadian bacon or ham. To save time and effort, use store-bought dough and substitute store-bought alfredo sauce for the mornay.

Thin-Crust Pickle Pizza

  • For the sauce:
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • 1 large clove garlic, minced or finely grated
  • ¼ teaspoon fine salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons finely grated parmesan cheese
  • For the pizza:
  • All-purpose flour, for dusting
  • ½ to 1 pound homemade or store-bought pizza dough (if a thicker crust is desired, use 1 pound of dough)
  • Vegetable or olive oil, for brushing the dough
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill fronds, divided use, plus more as needed
  • 6 slices (1 ¾ ounces) thinly cut Canadian bacon or boiled ham, optional
  • 1 ¼ cups (4 ounces) coarsely grated part-skim mozzarella cheese, plus more as needed
  • 1 ½ large dill pickles (about 1 ½ ounces), thinly sliced, plus more as needed

At least 30 minutes before you are ready to bake, place a pizza stone or inverted large, rimmed baking sheet on a rack in the upper third of the oven; heat to 475 degrees.

Make the sauce: In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the flour until smooth and cook, stirring constantly, until it bubbles and froths — do not let it brown — about 1 minute. Add the milk, whisking constantly, until it boils, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the garlic, salt and pepper. Cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and cool for about 2 minutes. Add the egg yolk, whisking fast to avoid curdling, then whisk in the cheese. (You should have about ½ cup.)

Dust your work surface lightly with the flour and set a large piece of parchment paper nearby. Using a rolling pin, roll the pizza dough into a 12-inch circle or square. Gently slide the parchment under the shaped dough.

Spread an even, thin layer of the sauce on the crust, leaving about ½ inch of from the edge bare. (You will likely use a generous ¼ cup, so reserve the rest for another use. It'll keep in the refrigerator for 2 days or frozen for 2 months.) Brush the edges of the crust with the oil. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the dill over the sauce, then arrange the Canadian bacon or ham, if using, on top. Evenly top with the mozzarella going all the way to the edge of the crust. Scatter the pickle slices around the pie and sprinkle generously with the remaining dill.

Slide the pizza with the parchment onto a pizza peel or rimless baking sheet, then transfer it to the heated pizza stone or sheet pan. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and slightly browned and the crust is slightly browned on the edges.

Remove the pizza from the oven and slide it, still on the parchment paper, onto a cutting board. Sprinkle with more fresh dill, if desired, let sit for about 2 minutes and serve.

Makes 2 to 4 servings.

Pizza recipe from recipes editor Ann Maloney. Mornay sauce adapted from "A French Chef Cooks at Home" by Jacques Pepin (Touchstone, 1980)


Upcoming Events