Mushroom-And-Goat Cheese Bechamel Pizza

Manami's Note:

"To give these individual pizzas an extra-luxe topping, Chef Andres Barrera makes a velvety bechamel sauce with goat cheese and freshly grated nutmeg (delicious), then adds dollops of sauteed mushrooms." From Rocking The Wine World: City Winery, F&W Magazine, April 2009 edition. The 2007 Palacios Remondo Plácet is delicious with these pizzas; like many oak-influenced Spanish whites, it has an earthy roundness that goes well with mushrooms. Another wonderful choice is the vanilla-edged 2007 Cune Monopole.All I can say is that these are wonderfully fantastic! :) Staff favorite, easily made ahead of time.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 25 mins
• Prep Time: 40 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour , plus more for dusting
• 1 ½ cups milk
• 2 ounces fresh goat cheese , thickly sliced
• freshly grated nutmeg
• salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• crushed red pepper flakes (a few pinches (or more)
• 1 lb pizza dough (we always buy ours)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil , plus more for brushing
• 1 garlic clove , smashed
• 1 lb assorted fresh mushrooms , such as porcini, white button and stemmed shiitake, thinly sliced (we used button, personal preference)
• 1 teaspoon thyme leaves

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 500°F.
2. Preheat a pizza stone or generously oil a large baking sheet.
3. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over moderate heat.
4. Stir in the 3 tablespoons of flour until a paste forms.
5. Gradually pour in the milk, whisking until smooth.
6. Bring the béchamel sauce to a simmer over moderately high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 4 minutes.
7. Reduce the heat to low and cook, whisking often, until no floury taste remains, about 10 minutes.
8. Remove from the heat and stir in the goat cheese until melted.
9. Season the sauce with nutmeg, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes.
10. Cut the pizza dough into 4 pieces.
11. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each piece to a 6-inch round.
12. Dust the rounds with flour and let rest until slightly puffed, about 15 minutes.
13. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
14. Add the smashed garlic clove and a pinch or two of crushed red pepper flakes; cook over moderate heat until golden, about 2 minutes.
15. Add the mushrooms, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and browned, about 15 minutes.
16. Discard the garlic.
17. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper and stir in the thyme leaves.
18. Roll out one of the dough rounds to form a 9-inch round.
19. Transfer the round to the large baking sheet and brush the edge of the dough with olive oil.
20. Spread 1/3 cup of the béchamel over the dough and scatter one-fourth of the mushrooms on top.
21. Transfer the round to the pizza stone and bake for about 5 minutes, until the edges are crisp and the béchamel is bubbling.
22. Transfer the pizza to a work surface, cut into wedges and serve.
23. Repeat with the remaining dough and toppings.
24. E N J O Y !
25. *The béchamel can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.

Reviews

[French Tart]

Absolutely fabulous Di! We loved this topping, makes a change from the usual dry toppings, and the goat's cheese with mushrooms and thyme was an instant hit! I made the bechamel sauce up last night and then just dolloped it on the pizza base today. I made my own pizza base from my Our Daily Bread in a Crock - Weekly Make and Bake Rustic Bread recipe, and also added a little tomato paste, as Malcolm likes tomato paste on his pizzas. I added a few bits of crumbled goat's cheese on top of the mushroom mixture, as we both LOVE goat's cheese. Fresh thyme was picked from my garden and we enjoyed this in the garden with a glass of white wine and a side salad. Made for the Magic of Herbs in the photo's forum, and a keeper for us. Merci. FT:-) NB: I made one large pizza and baked it for 15 minutes.