Despite the incessant snowfall we seem to be getting currently  in New Jersey, there are random moments when you smell the air and it smells just like spring. I feel like spring has a certain crisp, hopeful smell to it, and I smelled it this morning on my daily walk....and since all things lead back to food when it comes to me, this smell inspired the flavors and ingredients of today's pizza.

Spring produce, like heirloom tomatoes, basil, and the likes, are some of my favorite foods to work with. I love that really good tomatoes and basil can be a dish on their own or they can be combined with cheeses and/or proteins to make them into a variety of dishes.

My husband, being the dough maker in the house, expressed the desire to use his sourdough starter in a pizza dough...so with our combined efforts, this pizza was born. I have really been getting into making White Pizza lately (pizza, sans tomato sauce) because I feel like the toppings you can add are endless. White Pizza to me is like a blank canvas with limitless combinations of flavors, textures, and colors...which as a chef and visual eater, appeals to me.

Like I said, my husband was in charge of making the dough, and he's been using the techniques of Ken Forkish and his book, Flour Water Salt Yeast (which has become a quarantine bible of sorts around here). He followed Forkish's "Sourdough Pizza Dough" recipe using the Sourdough starter that he's been feeding since June 2020. This batch was particularly tasty because my daughter, Mayzie helped (see photo below) #proudmama

I also topped the cooked pizza with my newest cheese discovery, Stracciatella, which I can best describe as the insides of a burrata ball. It's creamy, sweet and a little salty, and balanced out the finishes pizza beautifully!

Enjoy!