Sargento Natural Cheese and Blueberry Pizza

August 11, 2011

Sargento Natural Cheese and Blueberry Pizza

Choosing quality cheese and Savory Blueberry Ricotta Pizza.

Don’t you just love getting a package in the mail? Last week I got a box of Sargento cheese to sample. I can never, EVER pass up cheese.

Sargento was so confident in the quality of their cheese, they sent their natural cheese slices as well as processed “American” cheese slices to compare the two.

As any cheese lover knows, there is no comparison in real cheese and “cheese product”. Sargento cheeses are made with just a few natural ingredients and are aged to enhance the flavor. They slice each block and package immediately to insure freshness. Plus, Sargento IS American cheese! All their cheeses are made fresh in Wisconsin, the Cheese State. Processed cheese is loaded with scientific sounding ingredients and nearly double the sodium. It’s squeezed into the wrapper in liquid form and flattened into slices.

My personal belief is that cheese isn’t supposed to be glossy. If it looks like rubber and bends like rubber, it’s not real cheese.

We opened the box for everyone to taste-test the cheeses and it was immediately clear the Sargento cheddar cheese was the favorite. The cheddar slices are thin and dense with a nutty aroma. They bend just a bit before breaking. That my friends, is how “American” cheese should look, feel and smell. The flavor was sharp and well balanced, not overly salty.

We snacked on the cheese with fruit and crackers, but could not help thinking how useful the cheese slices are at mealtime. Sargento slices are perfect for back-to-school lunch boxes, grilled cheese sandwiches, and layering in lasagna.

We decided to try something new and tear them into smaller pieces for a savory Blueberry Pizza appetizer.

With an abundance of blueberries this year, we’ve made jams, pies, crisps, and an array of other desserts. But who says blueberries have to be in sweet dishes? Their deep, yet perky, flavor makes them a wonderful addition to salads and savory appetizers.

Fruit and briny cheese go hand-in-hand, so to me, blueberry pizza makes perfect sense.

This simple and elegant Blueberry Ricotta Pizza is a quick appetizer or party snack. The combination of fresh basil and blueberries with the Sargento sharp white cheddar and creamy ricotta, are well balanced by a touch of spicy crushed red pepper and a scant drizzle of honey. This blueberry appetizer is fantastic straight out of the oven or at room temperature. Plus, it leaves extra Sargento cheese slices to munch on while you’re preparing it. *SMILE*

To Prepare Blueberry Ricotta Pizza:

Use a fork to prick holes over the surface, leaving the edges untouched. Arrange the basil leaves over the dough. Then break the cheese slices into bite-size pieces and layer them on the dough.

Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 8 triangles. Next dollop the ricotta over the dough followed by a sprinkling of blueberries. Sprinkle the pizza with crushed red pepper and salt. Bake for approximately 20 minutes—until the edges are golden.

Drizzle with honey and enjoy!

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Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Savory Blueberry Ricotta Pizza

Ingredients:

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
12-15 fresh basil leaves
2 slices Sargento Vermont Sharp White Cheddar
¼ cup Sargento Part-Skim Ricotta Cheese
¼ cup fresh blueberries
Pinch of crushed red pepper
Pinch of Salt
2 tsp. honey

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Unfold the puff pastry and lay it on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Use a fork to prick holes over the surface, leaving the edges untouched. Arrange the basil leaves over the dough. Then break the cheese slices into bite-size pieces and layer them on the dough.

Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 8 triangles. Next dollop the ricotta over the dough followed by a sprinkling of blueberries.

Sprinkle the pizza with crushed red pepper and salt. Bake for approximately 20 minutes—until the edges are golden.

Remove from the oven and drizzle with a little honey. Pull apart and serve warm.

(This is a sponsored post, but I only write about products that I use and enjoy.)