This one came out of late winter, when Meyer lemons are at their peak and the first spring kale starts showing up tender and sweet. It's a white pizza, but not the heavy, blanket-of-cheese kind. The base is a cauliflower sauce, creamy and savory without too much dairy. Topped with lightly spread whole-milk mozzarella, a hint of gorgonzola cheese, thin Meyer lemon, and a shower of pecorino and pine nuts at the end. Bright, rich, and a little funky, all at once.
The cauliflower cream
The trick to a cauliflower sauce that belongs on a pizza is treating excess water like the enemy. Steam the florets instead of boiling them; boiling water-logs the cauliflower and you'll never blend out the excess. After steaming, purée everything smooth, you'll cook the sauce back down in a pan until it tightens just slightly. That cook-off step is the difference between a crisp crust and a soggy one. Don't skip it.
Whie Pie with Kale & Meyer Lemon
A bright late-winter white pizza built on a creamy cauliflower cream sauce. Topped with whole-milk mozzarella, a touch of gorgonzola, thin Meyer lemon, tender spring kale, with a finish of pecorino and pine nuts.
Ingredients
or the cauliflower cream sauce (makes 2–3 pizzas' worth)
- 350 g cauliflower, cut into small florets
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 40 g grated Parmesan
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 pinch grated nutmeg
For the pizza (makes 1)
- 1 dough ball
- 90 g cauliflower cream sauce (from above)
- 110 g whole-milk mozzarella, freshly shredded
- 25 g Gorgonzola or mild blue, crumbled
- 1 large handful spring kale, (stems trimmed)
- 1 Meyer lemon, sliced 1-2mm thick
- 2 tbsp pine nuts, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 15 g pecorino, for finishing
- Flaky salt
Instructions
- 1
Steam the cauliflower
Steam the florets until very tender, 12–14 minutes. Undercooked florets won't purée smooth. Drain well so no extra water carries through.
- 2
Bloom the garlic
Melt the butter over low heat, add the smashed garlic, and cook gently 3–4 minutes until soft and fragrant. Don't let it brown.
- 3
Blend thick
Combine the cauliflower, garlic butter, cream, Parmesan, olive oil, lemon zest, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a blender. Blend completely smooth. Aim for the texture of hummus or ricotta, spoonable, not pourable. Too thick? Add cream a teaspoon at a time, never water.
- 4
Cook off the moisture
Transfer the purée into a pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 3–5 minutes, until it tightens and a spoon dragged across the bottom leaves a clean trail. Cool before spreading.
- 5
Dress the kale
Toss the leaves with the olive oil and a pinch of salt, massaging lightly until coated but not soaked. This keeps it from burning in the oven.
- 6
Stretch and sauce
Stretch the dough on a floured or semolina-dusted peel. Spread a thin, even layer of cauliflower cream, leaving a 1-inch border. It is rich, a thin layer will help the crust stay crisp.
- 7
Cheese and lemon
Scatter the mozzarella, then dot the blue in small crumbles, scattered not blanketed. Lay the Meyer lemon slices on top, spaced out.
- 8
Bake
In a pizza oven oven, 60–90 seconds at full heat with a turn or two. Add the dressed kale for the final 20–30 seconds so it crisps instead of burning. Home oven: 550°F on a steel or stone, 7–10 minutes, kale added in the last 2.
- 9
Finish
Once out of the oven, immediately scatter the pine nuts, grate the pecorino over the top, add a hint of flaky salt. Slice and enjoy.
Tips
- Meyer rind is sweet enough to eat raw, but blanch the slices 30 seconds in boiling water if you want to soften the bite. Pull any seeds either way.
- Keep the blue cheese a to just a hint, 25 g, scattered across the pizza, not in a layer. It's there to aid in richness and smooth the sweetness, not take over.
- Pine nuts and pecorino go on after the bake, on purpose, keeping the nuts crunchy and the cheese sharp.
FAQ
- Why cauliflower cream instead of regular white sauce?
- It's creamy and savory without the dairy weight of a classic béchamel, and the cook-off step keeps it from making the crust soggy.
- Can I make the sauce ahead?
- Yes! it keeps 3–4 days refrigerated. Bring it to spreadable room temperature before using; don't thin it with water.
- What crust works best?
- A thin, crisp base like our NY-style dough (bread flour + rye, overnight cold ferment). The faint rye tang plays well agains the lemon and the blue.
Notes
Make it when the kale is young and the lemons are in season. A drizzle of honey or chili oil at the very end is optional but plays beautifully with the other flavors.
