SNOWMAN PERSONAL PIZZAS

Snowman Personal Pizzas image

The sliced olives and bell pepper noses give the pizzas smiling faces while the creamy ricotta and fresh garlic pack them with flavor. Serve to your family for a fun weeknight dinner or as party dish your guests will devour.

Provided by Food Network Kitchen

Time 50m

Yield 4 personal pizzas

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (about 1 ounce)
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus 4 whole sprigs
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic, grated
Kosher salt
1 pound store-bought pizza dough, at room temperature
All-purpose flour, for dusting
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces (about 1 cup) torn fresh mozzarella
1 jarred roasted orange pepper or orange peppadew
40 slices pitted black olives (10 slices per pizza), about 1/3 cup

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F and preheat a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet.
In a medium bowl combine the ricotta, Parmesan, chopped rosemary, red pepper flakes and garlic; season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and set aside.
Divide the pizza dough into 4 equal rounds (each round should be 4 ounces and about 3-inches in diameter). Divide each round into 2 circles, one 2-inches wide (for the body) and the other 1-inch wide (for the head). On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll each ball of dough out to 1/4-inch thick. (If a ball of dough becomes too stiff while rolling, cover it with plastic wrap and allow it to rest while working on the other balls of dough. After 4 or 5 minutes it will become more flexible, stretchier and easier to roll.)
Line two baking sheets with parchment. Place two large circles of dough on each piece of parchment, and overlap each large circle with a smaller circle of dough to form heads. Brush the dough with the olive oil and pierce the dough with a fork to prevent bubbles from forming, then bake until the crust begins to brown and is almost completely cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes.
Remove the pizzas from the oven and spread the ricotta mixture on top of the snowmen leaving a 1/4-inch border, then top with the torn mozzarella. Cut the orange pepper into four elongated triangles (about 2-inches long) to form noses; place each on a snowman face. Use 2 olive slices on each face for eyes, 5 olive slices for a smile and 3 olive slices for buttons.
Slide a pizza onto the hot stone or baking sheet and continue baking until the cheese has just melted, about 3 minutes more. Transfer to a cutting board; place a sprig of rosemary by each snowman's right hand to form a broom. Repeat with the remaining snowmen. Serve while hot.