The Academy Awards are just three days away, and I'm sure a number of you are hosting Oscar parties. If nothing else, it gives you good reason to get friends and family together to enjoy some delicious food and drinks - what could be better than that? Over the next few days we're going to take a look at some dishes that you may be able to serve to your guests, Oscar-style, while waiting to find out who wins Best Picture. I came across this article written by Wolfgang Puck, world-class chef and owner of Spago's plus many other restaurants around the country. Since he has been serving up dishes to the stars since the 1970's (at his restaurants, as well as at the award shows themselves), I decided there was no better way to kick start our own little Oscar party than by spotlighting one of his recipes. If you've heard of Spago's, you've no doubt heard of his smoked salmon pizza. According to Puck, Joan Collins ordered Spago's house-smoked salmon one night, but they had run out of the brioche that normally accompanied the dish. On a whim, Wolfgang baked and seasoned a pizza dough, sliced it into wedges, and was going to serve that alongside the salmon until he had the idea of creating a pizza with the ingredients instead. The pizza is still one of his most popular dishes today.
Though I make a slightly different version of this pizza myself, there is no doubt that it was adapted from this recipe. Wolfgang Puck has shared this recipe (and many of his others) with the public on his website and in his article. I've included a copy of it here for your convenience.
Spago's Smoked Salmon Pizza
Pizza Dough:
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 tsp. honey
1 C. warm water, 105 to 115 degrees
3 C. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
Dill Cream:
1/2 C. sour cream
1 Tbs. minced shallot
2 tsp. chopped fresh dill
1/2 Tbs. lemon juice
Pinch white pepper
Pizza Topping:
4 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
10 oz. thinly sliced smoked salmon
4 tsp. chopped fresh chives
1 Tbs. caviar
Directions
Up to a day or at least two hours ahead, make the Pizza Dough: In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and honey in 1/4 C. of the warm water. In a mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour and salt. Add the oil, yeast mixture, and remaining water; mix on low speed until the dough comes cleanly away from the side of the bowl and clusters around the hook, about 5 minutes. (The dough can also be made in a food processor with the stainless-steel blade. Briefly pulse together the flour and salt. Add the dissolved yeast and other ingredients and process until the dough begins to form a ball.)
Turn out the dough onto a clean work surface and knead until smooth and firm, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean, damp towel, and leave to rise at warm room temperature for 30 minutes.
Make the Dill Cream: In a small bowl, stir together all the ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Divide the dough into 4 equal balls. On a smooth, clean surface, lightly work each ball by pulling down all around its sides and tucking underneath. Repeat 4 or 5 times per ball. Roll the ball under your palm until the dough feels smooth and firm, about 1 minute. Put the balls on a tray, cover with a damp towel, and let them rest for about 20 minutes. At this point, the balls can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days.
To make the pizzas, place a pizza stone on the middle rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
To prepare each pizza, dip a dough ball into flour, shake off the excess, and place on a clean, lightly floured surface. Stretch the dough by pressing down on the center, spreading it into an 8-inch circle with a slightly thicker rim. (Alternatively, use a small rolling pin.) Lightly brush the inner circle with some olive oil and spread a quarter of the onions on top.
Slide a pizza paddle or rimless baking sheet under the pizza and slide it onto the pizza stone. Bake until the crust is golden brown, 6-8 minutes.
With the paddle, carefully remove the pizza and transfer to a cutting board. With the back of a spoon, spread some Dill Cream over the inner circle. Arrange salmon slices to cover the entire pizza, slightly overlapping the rim. Sprinkle with chives.
Using a pizza cutter or a large sharp knife, cut the pizza into 4 or 6 wedges. Spoon some caviar in the center of each slice. Serve immediately.
Yield: 4 x 8-inch pizzas
