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!
Savory Blueberry Ricotta Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry thawed
- 12-15 fresh basil leaves
- 2 slices Sargento Vermont Sharp White Cheddar
- 1/4 cup Sargento Part-Skim Ricotta Cheese
- 1/4 cup fresh blueberries
- Pinch crushed red pepper
- Pinch salt
- 2 teaspoons honey
Instructions
- 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.
First time seeing blueberries on pizza, but what a nice idea!
There’s American cheese, and then there’s American cheese. One is any cheese made in America, but the other is that vile substance that only resembles real cheese when viewed from the same distance used to describe the Hubble, that stuff you get on a drive-thru hamburger.
It’s time we reclaimed the name American cheese and picked something worthy.
Big fan of Sargento’s, by the way.
Sommer, love the flavor combo..and who doesn’t love cheese ? great recipe, thanks for sharing!! have a great weekend!!
so fabulous, yet elegant enough to serve at a cocktail party . . . or for dinner w/a nice salad – perfecto!!
Your posts are always so beautiful and inviting..thank you for your wonderful posts!
A savory blueberry pizza on a puff pastry sounds just wonderful, a delicious creation!
Great! so elegantly indulging. I’d like to prepare one this weekend.
FABULOUS pizza! I love the “glossy and rubbery” comment! …and I totally agree!
The pastry based pizza with blueberries…that looks heavenly!
Ohmigoodness! This is an incredible pizza! The blueberries with that lovely freebie cheese sounds heavenly :) Buzzed!
What a yummy appetizer idea!
This looks amazing! Seriously, what an amazing pizza. and those cheese and crackers look so good too :)
Sommer, I love everything about this pizza. The sweetness of the blueberries with the salty cheese is a great combo. The basil is a fun twist too.
I am such a blueberry fan. I would love this pizza!
I am a cheeseaholic! This looks delicious as does the array of cheese you were lucky to get!
From the title, I thought this might be a sweet dessert pizza. But it’s savoury! Love it.
Oh yummy! Great idea with this pizza – I’ve still got tons of blueberries and all I need now is some cheese =)
Look at all that wonderful WI Cheese (WI girl here)! This pizza is so creative! What a great idea to pair ricotta and blueberries this way!