Proscuitto, Fresh Mozarella and Date Pizza

I would have NEVER in my wildest dreams thought of putting these ingredients together, and especially not atop the bubbling crust of a pizza.  But I heart Alton Brown and when he made it on his show, I knew it had to be a must-try.

I'm never afraid of new flavors, but I was a bit worried about how Bo would feel about the dates.  He tends to keep his sweet and savory separate.  Completely.  I mean never the twain shall meet.  But he agreed with me. The sharp saltiness of the prosciutto cut into the sweetness of the dates providing them a perfect place for a first meeting.

Now I see other previously banned flavor combos in our future!

Proscuitto, Fresh Mozarella and Date Pizza (Inspired by Alton Brown)

One recipe of your favorite pizza crust (I used this one)
Proscuitto (Our pizza was 6  inch so I used 2 oz)
A handful of dates, sliced (I imagine figs would work too)
Several slices of fresh mozzarella (You can use the processed shredded kind, but the effect will be different.)

Prepare the crust for the grill by stretching it to a perfect circle - just kidding.  Mine are always lopsided.  Place the dough on a sheet of parchment paper sprinkled with flour or cornmeal and put in the refrigerator until ready to cook.

Heat the grill to high (or heat the oven to 550).Chop the proscuitto and dates then slice the mozzarella.  If grilling, brush olive oil on the top of the crust then flip that side on the hot grill.  Cook for 3-4 minutes, pull off and flip over so you are dressing the already cooked side.

Sprinkle the meat and dates on the crust (Don't worry if you have extra dates - they taste good out of hand!).  Lay the cheese on top and add back to the grill for 3-4 minutes or until the cheese is soft.

If using the oven, dress the dough on the parchment.  Slide the pizza and parchment on a baking sheet or use a peel to slide it on a pizza stone.  Bake 7-8 minutes or until the cheese is soft and the crust is a light brown.

Let sit 3-5 minutes prior to slicing.