Lemon Ricotta Pizza with Herbs and Honey
Try something really unique with this Lemon Ricotta Pizza with Herbs and Honey. It’s savory and sweet and tangy all at one time. A great appetizer or even dessert course; in our house we just called it dinner!
Someone I follow on Twitter commented on a pizza they had just had at a restaurant and my interest was piqued by the sound of lemon, onion, herb and ricotta toppings and finished with a lavender honey glaze. I can’t say I would normally try to recreate a dish I had never tried but I also thought, why not?
I asked for details and she gave me a list of ingredients that I used as an inspiration to create this dish. I loved the unique combination of ingredients and moved forward with my blind leap of faith to try my hand at doing one myself.
The toppings on her restaurant version listed caramelized onions and I would have typically included those as well, however, I was out of onions last night but had everything else so my photo and first attempt are minus those. Promise, the next attempt will most certainly see them included with balsamic vinegar added to the caramelization process. I also decided to add toasted pine nuts to the mix as they seem well within keeping with the other ingredients; am I alone in thinking this is crying out to be called Tuscan Lemon Pizza!
Seems perfect for a light lunch, afternoon tea or for me…I did this as dinner with a salad and the perfect wine pairing. Depending on the amount of honey used, I think this dish lends itself well to either an appetizer or a more savory dessert course.
In any event, it’s a unique and beautiful take on pizza!
Lemon Ricotta Pizza with Herbs and Honey
Ingredients
For the Lavender Honey:
- ½ cup honey
- 2 Tbsp lavender
For the Pizza Dough: Make your own or use pre-made. Mine came from Whole Foods and was perfect but some pizza places will also sell you fresh dough
- 1 ½ cups ricotta cheese
- 3 lemons; VERY thinly sliced rind included; cut each slice into half. (I did not do this but now recommend it!)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil; additional for brushing cookware surface if necessary
- 1 medium onion
- 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 3 Tbsp fresh rosemary chopped
- 2 -3 Tbsp fresh sage thinly sliced
- 4 Tbsp pine nuts
Instructions
- To Make the Lavender Honey
- Mix lavender and honey in small saucepan; gently heat while preparing pizza to allow the honey to be infused with lavender flavor.
- To Make the Pizza
- Heat oven to 400.
- Cook onion in olive oil til soft and starting to brown. Add balsamic vinegar and cook another minute or two.
- Brush oil olive in round or rectangular pan or use pizza stone.
- Spread pizza to edge of pan.
- Cook for 5 minutes in oven.
- Spread 1 cup of ricotta cheese over top of dough.
- Spread caramelized onion over ricotta.
- Evenly place lemon slices over cheese and onions.
- Sprinkle rosemary, sage and pine nuts over pizza.
- Dollop remaining ricotta cheese over entire pizza.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are brown; cut into serving pieces
- Remove honey from heat and pour into small pitcher. Serve pizza and pass the honey to drizzle on top.
This sweet & savory pizza sounds wonderful. Perfect for outdoor entertaining!
Love love lemon! This would be nice with preserved lemon rinds too.
I’m loving the crust on this pizza—the thinner the better and guilty factor is diminished! What a great pie for summer paired with a Riesling!
Bren, this is so amazingly good…I could eat it as an appetizer, main course or dessert depending on the mood! And yes, a Riesling would be great, wouldn’t it? Wish I had some of both right now!
This is fabulous and I’d even see eating this as dessert! Gorgeous and so summery for pizza. I must try this!
I felt the same way Jamie. I think my version without onions and absolutely with the lavendar honey would be an elegant and unique dessert.
I am so glad you pinged me through Twitter as I was lead to your beautiful site. I am loving the recipes and photos! Can’t wait to lose myself over here very often.
Denise
THIS is my kinda pizza – the perfect balance of herbs, cheese and crust – just lovely!
I made this for my wine tasting last night and it was wonderful. My wine friends loved it. It went well with both red and white wines. The caramelized onions enhance the lemon and cheese. Another thing that works is slicing the lemons very thin then cutting them in half. Not very many people added the honey though.
Barb this looks fabulous. I love trying to make things from restaurants and I must say I do a pretty good job. Saving this one and will have to give it a try.
This was a shot in the dark; I heard it described but didn’t see it; but that was part of the fun. A Twitter friend saw me post it too and is making it tonight for a wine tasting; she did do the caramelized onions so I can’t want to hear her feedback.
I just finished up the last of my lavender honey and I wished I would have saved it for this. I like your homemade version. So mush cheaper then what I paid for it. I have some ricotta I need to use up and this looks perfect! Stumbled it.
Yum, beautiful pizza. Something different from the usual tomato sauce. Love this.
Definitely trying this the next time I make up a batch of pizza dough! I missed the part about the lavender honey earlier, and I absolutely love it!
I love all the herbs in this! This is my kind of pizza without the usual suspects. It looks delicious! If I ever get to come your way, maybe we can have one of these pizzas and a great bottle of wine!
Oh! Wow! That looks something I would love, but fiance would not touch! It looks fabulous, Barb…the honey drizzle has me drooling!
Such delicious ingredients and a beauty of a pizza. Can’t even image how wonderful it tastes!
Really was one of those gambles but absolutely wonderful; great fun to figure out, make and, oh yeah, EAT!
Yum! I love recreating food I have had at restaurants. 😉 And…love, love, love lavender honey! Silly me bought some…could have just made it! Will from now on…
Well, I didn’t have any lavender honey so just figured adding lavender to honey with some heat would do it…seemed to work. Very subtle. Very good!