Pizzettes

I hate doing this. I really do. This entry is yet another confession that, while I have many issues with Giada (inc. her uncanny ability to attract male viewers in ways not appropriate for day time television) she makes really good food. Gosh darn you food porn star with a great recipe collection.

For my new years eve party I made a spread of hors dourves and bite size desserts. These were definately in the top 2. They are like mini pizzas. So delicious, yet mature and adorable. Definately a hit. I forgot to get a picture of the plate once I had baked all of them, but it is so fun to see a pretty plate stacked high with baby pizzas.
Tips and changes for next time: I used dry basil instead of fresh because, well, college student budget! To work with it, I put the basil on the cough before the cheese. Also I used shredded mozzerella because I just do not like gorgonzola. I think it worked just fine and made it more generally accepted.

I had an issue with the dough puffing up and the tomatoes sometimes fell off. Once I realized this, I briefly took the trays out 1/2 way through baking, used spoons to scoop up and reattach tomatoes, then rotated the trays and continued baking. Fixed it, no problem. As for the final steps of drizzling with evoo and salt and pepper, the pizzettes are fine without, but the evoo and salt definately add a something special.

Oh, and the dough is easiest to work with when room temp, so let it warm up 1st.

Pizzettes (I got it from the Giada's Family Dinners section of Best of the Best)
serves 8 to 10 people (about 3 pieces per person)
1 ball (12 ounces) purchased pizza dough
5 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled (I used shredded Mozzerrella)
5 ounces cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1⁄3 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 475°F.
Roll out the pizza dough into a ¼-inch-thick round. Using a 2¼- to 2½-inch-diameter cookie cutter, cut out 30 dough circles. Arrange the circles on 2 large, heavy baking sheets.
Sprinkle the cheese over the circles. Top with the tomatoes, pressing them gently into the dough.
Bake until the pizzettes are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Drizzle the pizzettes with the oil, then sprinkle with the basil, salt, and pepper. Arrange the pizzettes on a platter and serve immediately (best when hot, but stayed good all night).