pesto

1. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil and set aside a bowl of ice water. When water boils, add garlic and cook 20 seconds. Then add basil and cook for another 10 seconds. Transfer to ice water. Drain and squeeze out as much water as possible.
2. Place garlic, basil, pine nuts, olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a few cranks of pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Blend, scraping bowl down as needed, until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, stir in the parmesan and add more salt or pepper if needed. Set aside until ready.

pesto pizza

1. Place pizza steel or stone in the oven and preheat to 500°F. Let steel heat up for a full 45 minutes.
2. When oven is ready, generously flour a pizza peel and set aside.
3. 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 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.
4. Spread 1/4 cup pesto all over the surface of the dough, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Top with shredded parmesan, torn mozzarella and crumbled goat cheese.
5. Jiggle the peel to make sure nothing is sticking, then slide pizza onto steel and bake for 5 minutes. Broil for 2- 4 minutes, watching pizza closely, until cheese is bubbly and crust is charred in spots.
6. Remove pizza from oven and transfer to a cutting board. Slice and serve.