morel pizza with fontina and crispy shallots

fried shallots

1. Place shallots in a small saucepan and cover with vegetable oil. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally to keep the rings separate, until golden brown, 15- 20 minutes. Reduce heat as needed to maintain a steady but gentle simmer.
2. Use a slotted spoon to transfer fried shallots to a paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle with kosher salt and let cool. 

morel cream sauce

1. Place dried morels in a heat proof bowl and cover with as little boiling water as needed to submerge mushrooms (about 2- 2 ½ cups). Let soak until soft, about 15 minutes. Drain morels, reserving soaking liquid, and cut large ones in half lengthwise. Filter soaking liquid through a coffee filter to remove dirt and set aside.
2. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, then add garlic and cook until fragrant and beginning to turn golden, about 3 minutes. Add morels, season with salt and black pepper, and saute until liquid begins to cook off. Add wine and increase heat to a simmer. Cook until nearly all of the liquid is gone, about 10 minutes.
3. Add 1 ½ cups of soaking liquid (discard remainder), heavy cream and thyme and season with salt and black pepper. Bring mixture to a gentle simmer and cook for about 45 minutes, stirring often, until sauce is very thick and only about 1 cup of cream remains. Use a slotted spoon to separate morels from cream sauce and set both aside separately. 

morel pizza

1. Place pizza steel or stone, if using, in the oven and preheat to 500°F. Let stone heat up for a full 45 minutes. Generously flour a pizza peel and set aside. Alternatively, lightly grease a baking sheet with olive oil and set aside.
2. On a floured surface, flatten the middle of the dough ball into a large disk, leaving a thick 1-inch lip. Pick up the disk, and holding the thick edge, use gravity to carefully shape the dough into a 12-inch circle. Lay on prepared pizza peel and adjust shape into a circle. Jiggle the peel to make sure the dough isn’t sticking (add more flour if it is). Alternatively, transfer dough to prepared sheet pan. Spread pizza dough with enough reserved cream sauce to cover the surface, leaving a 1-inch perimeter empty. Scatter half the morels over top, then sprinkle with half the fontina, parmesan and fried shallots.
3. Slide pizza onto steel and bake for 8- 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is browned. Bake for 15- 20 minutes if using a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pizza dough and toppings. Let pizza cool slightly before eating. Don't burn your mouth on the creamy, molten morels!