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Franny's Clam Pizza

Source of Recipe

"The Essential New York Times Cookbook" by Amanda Hesser


Recipe Introduction

"I'm not going to lie—this pizza is a project. But it's easy to do in stages: the pizza dough and clam sauce can be assembled in the morning, the baking of the pizza at night. And by the time it's done, it's like childbirth: you won't regret the effort. The pizza emerges from the oven hot, crisp, tasting of the ocean and oil, and radiating the warmth of chiles."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
â—¦ ½ Spanish onion, cut into chunks
â—¦ 4 cloves garlic, smashed
â—¦ 1 bay leaf
â—¦ Crushed red pepper flakes
â—¦ 1 ¼ cups dry white wine
â—¦ 4 ½ dozen littleneck clams (about 6 pounds), scrubbed well
â—¦ 1 ½ cups heavy cream
â—¦ Flour for dusting
â—¦ Pizza Dough (recipe follows)
â—¦ Chopped flat-leaf parsley for garnish


Recipe

Place a pizza stone on the top rack of the oven. Heat the oven to 550 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

While the oven heats, place the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until it is limp, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, bay leaf, and a pinch of red pepper flakes and sauté for 7 minutes longer. Add the wine and bring to a simmer. Add the clams, cover the pot, and cook until they start to open, about 10 minutes. As they open, use tongs to transfer them to a large bowl. When all the clams are cooked, 15 to 20 minutes and (set the pot aside) cooled, pluck out the meat and discard the shells.

Simmer the liquid left in the pot until it reduces to a thick, syrupy glaze, about 20 minutes. Add the cream and continue simmering until the mixture is reduced by a quarter, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve, and set aside.

Flour a pizza peel or rimless cookie sheet. Stretch one dough ball into a 12-inch round and lay it on the peel. Paint the entire surface with ¼ cup clam glaze, and scatter a dozen or so clams over the pizza. Add a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes (be conservative on the first one; adjust as necessary for the second).

Slide the pie onto the heated stone and bake until the crust is browned on the bottom (use tongs to check), about 4 minutes. If your broiler is part of the oven, turn it to high and broil the pizza until the top is nicely browned, 30 seconds to 1 minute. If your broiler unit is separate, use tongs to transfer the pizza to a cookie sheet, and slide it under the broiler for 30 seconds or so. Continue with the remaining pizzas. Drizzle the pies with olive oil and sprinkle with parsley before serving.

Makes four 12-inch pizzas;
Serves 4 to 6



Franny's Pizza Dough:

â—¦ 1 ¾ cups warm water
â—¦ 1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
â—¦ 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for coating the dough
â—¦ 1 ½ tablespoons salt
â—¦ 1 tablespoon sugar
â—¦ 5 cups bread flour

Put the warm water in a mixer bowl or other large bowl, add the yeast, and stir until it dissolves. Add the oil, salt, and sugar and mix well. Stir in the flour. Knead in the mixer, preferably using a dough hook, or by hand on a floured surface, until the dough comes together. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.

Knead the dough until it's springy, about 5 minutes in a mixer or 10 minutes by hand. Form into a ball, coat with oil, and place in a large bowl. Cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature (2 to 4 hours) before proceeding.

Press the dough down and knead it briefly. Divide it into 4 pieces and roll each piece into a loose ball; let rest for 10 minutes. Flatten the dough into disks and cover with cloth towels until ready to use.



• I made the pizza dough in a mixer fitted with the dough hook, kneading it for 5 minutes on medium-low speed. If you have one, put it to work. The key step comes right before serving the pie, when you sprinkle it with olive oil. This polishes the flavors and gives the texture a providential slickness, which it needs.