Focaccia with Blackberries, Mozzarella, Arugula & Honey has Meatless Monday written all over it!
Today’s recipe is fashioned after a tempting little pizza named Just Wildcattin’ that I had this summer up in Lake Placid. A colorful pizza for two (or one if you’re really hungry) born in the kitchen of the Big Slide Brewery & Public House, is an olive oil and honey based pizza topped with fresh mozzarella, shaved prosciutto, blackberries and dressed arugula.
I had the idea to make a simple focaccia (sans prosciutto), as the olive oil and honey base of the Just Wildcattin’ lends itself to the traditional puffed and dimply dough. Focaccia is an Italian yeast bread baked on a sheet pan like this, or this, or in a cast iron skillet, flavored with olive oil and (sometimes) herbs and coarse salt, and can be finished with any number of sweet or savory toppings.
So here is the deal – when it comes to mealtime I’m not usually one for sweet flavors, especially when it comes to my pizza (don’t even get me started on pizza with pineapple 😉 ) but this focaccia, with its balance of sweet and savory, does, in my humble opinion, hit all the right notes.
This late summer beauty is:
- Cheesy
- Briny
- Peppery
- Fruity
- Sweet
- Fresh
- Full-flavored
It’s a virtual musical medley for your mouth!
Soft yeasty dough, melty mozzarella, fruity olive oil, peppery arugula, sweet blackberries and floral honey.
Flavors that just might have you singing, “‘O sole mio”!
Buon Appetito!
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Focaccia with Blackberries, Mozzarella, Arugula & Honey
- Category: Focaccia
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
Focaccia with Blackberries, Mozzarella, Arugula & Honey has Meatless Monday written all over it!
Ingredients
- One 1 lb. package store bought pizza dough (or CCB’s homemade)
- 4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
- 4 – 6 Tbsp. honey, divided
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 2 – 3 cups arugula
- 2 – 3 cups blackberries
- Sea salt & cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 F.
- Place dough in a large bowl, cover with a towel and let it rise in a warm, draft-free place for about an hour.
- When ready, pour two tablespoons of olive oil in a cast iron skillet. (Or on a sheet pan.)
- Carefully press dough into bottom of the skillet. (If using a sheet pan, shape the dough into a circle.)
- Using your fingertips, press dough to fill the pan and create divots.
- Sprinkle dough with remaining olive oil and 2 Tbsp. honey.
- Bake uncovered until golden, about 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and top with shredded mozzarella.
- Place back under the broiler for a couple minutes until cheese is melted.
- Remove from oven and top with arugula, blackberries, a hefty drizzle of honey and a good grind of sea salt and pepper.
- Serve warm.
CIAO!
Now we’re cooking!
I saw this on IG and thought – 1 that looks absolutely delicious and 2 blackberries on pizza are a delicious idea! A little bit of sweet (and that honey too) with the cheese-y pie and peppery arugula is just perfect!
It really is a spectacular bite! Thanks, Geraldine!!
Oh my! Just stunning! I love these ingredients together, and the presentation is spectacular!
Thank you so much, Mimi!!
Gosh all those blackberries! Can’t wait to replicate these flavors on my focaccia!
Ahhh! Yes! Enjoy, my friend!
Wow! I love the use of blackberries in this! Great for lunch or as an appetizer!
It is so nice for parties! Thanks, Kevin!
How beautiful is this presentation! I think Focaccia is the perfect choice to hold all these wonderful toppings. I’m not the biggest pineapple on pizza fan either 🙂 . But the berries with mozzarella, arugula and honey sounds heavenly! Not sure I would share lol. Take care 🙂
I hear you….this is a tough one to share! That’s why two might be in order! 😉 Thank you, Stacey!
We both certainly are in a blackberry mode! 🙂 What a great idea to add them to a pizza! They make quite an impressive statement!
Give me all the blackberries right now! Thanks, Kathy! 🙂
So pretty and those blackberries! So nice with the cheese, greens and honey. Just perfect 🙂
It really is a very pleasant combo! Thanks, Jennifer!
I love some added sweetness on my pizza (I’m a pineapple pizza fan!), and I absolutely love the honey and blackberries on this! Plus, I need to check our your homemade focaccia recipe!
I’m the only one in my family who isn’t a fan of the pineapple – I know it’s very popular! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by, my friend!
LOL, Annie! We are the same about pineapple on pizza – why oh why???
Absolutely stunning photos! And my mouth is watering, so many wonderful flavors and textures going on here! Excited to try your dough recipe too!
This focaccia does hit all the right notes! Thank you, my friend!
OMGosh! I’m so drooling over your beautiful focaccia! Looks so amazing! Pinning, of course! xo
Thank you, Kim! And thanks for the pin!! 🙂
I’m with you on savory pizza, Annie. But when I saw these plump, juicy blackberries on focaccia, all that went out the window! Delicious and so pretty! Well done! xo
That’s how I felt when I first saw this on the menu. Something about blackberries, arugula and mozzarella – it works! Thanks, Traci! xo
I want a slice!! You know how we are with pizza and focaccia, we can have them any time of the day 🙂 . This combination is great and I can see why it works. Thanks for sharing such a beauty!
I am with you guys! Pizza and focaccia any time of the day or night!! Thank you, Nicoletta!
I love, love, love all the flavors going on in this focaccia! And that big bubble in the middle of the cheese – I always grab that piece first! Heavenly!
Thank you, Kelly!! Oh yes – I go for that big bubble first, too! 🙂
Such a great idea to use blackberries on focaccia! I love, love having fresh arugula on flat breads or pizza and the combo you have going on here really speaks to me. Pinned!
I think you’d really love it, Milena! I’m curious what you’d pair it with! 🙂
I’m with you when it comes to pineapple on pizza. That’s a huge no thank you. But the blackberries here have me intrigued–this sounds awesome! I’m going to have to try this one soon!
These flavors meld together beautifully! Let me know if you try it! 🙂
That’s part of the beauty of fresh blackberries, they shine somewhere between sweet and savory and let the surrounding flavors tip the scale. Pizzas like this are a thing of joy. Thanks, Annie.
You are absolutely right! Blackberries are a great team player! Thank you, Bill!
What a delicious combination Annie! I just want to grab a slice right off my screen! Beautiful!
I have to say, this one looks as good as it tastes! 🙂 Thanks, Mary Ann!
What a beautiful pairing, Annie! Everything in here is just so yummy! Pineapple on pizza? I don’t go for it, but if someone gave it to me I’d still eat it….cause pizza, lol. Though, if I had a choice, I’d surely pick this focaccia over it 😉 Happy Monday! XOXO
Hahaha! You crack me up! “‘Cause pizza”. You and my hubby definitely have that in common! 🙂 So happy you like! Have a great day, my friend! XOXO
Those blackberries are absolutely gorgeous. They look so full of juice my mouth is watering. And I am like you — I like a savory pizza although at times I like to eat something different. That was the case with the Figgy Piggy. It was a pizza with prosciutto, arugula, and figs, and fresh mozzarella. Out of this world good. This pizza sounds like it would be right up there with it. Oh, I don’t want to talk about pizza and pineapple — send shivers up my spine.
Oh mannn, I need to make that Figgy Piggy! That sounds divine!!