I'm going to try to start this off positive. Pizza is one of those things that always tastes great, even at its most predictable. A hot steaming cheese pie, let's face it, really hits the spot sometimes. But. BUT. I really kind of hate pizza. Well, maybe not pizza but the lackadaisical attitude with which many approach it. Yeah, slap on some tomato sauce, some cheese, a meat or veggie, you're done. No! Not me.

In honor of this sentiment, I have been making efforts to stretch the yeasty dough canvas beyond its wildest imagination. I started, of course, with the sauce. Because some things just don't go that well with tomato, I wanted to explore other options, and I came up with this awesome sauce whose leftovers can be used in many a creative way.

pizza with caramelized onion sauce, chicken, and goat cheese

1 recipe basic dough (see below)
4-5 onions
2 tbsp butter
4 oz goat cheese
1 large chicken breast

Make dough. *NOTE: Extras freeze well; I especially enjoyed the texture of dough after it had been frozen. Simply thaw for an hour or so to use. Preheat oven to 400.
Melt butter over medium heat. Add onions, stir to coat, then turn heat to med. low. Cook for 45 minutes, stirring only a few times, until goldenly beautiful brown. Transfer to food processor and blend, adding water if needed to thin to desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Coat chicken breast in spices (your choice! simply salt and pepper, or i used Emeril's Essence). Saute in pan over med. heat until cooked through.
Spread onion sauce over prepared dough.
Tear chicken into pieces and distribute over pizza.
Sprinkle goat cheese evenly across. Give it a couple of grinds of black pepper for good measure. Bake for 12 minutes, or until edges of crust are golden.

pizza dough

1 1/3 c warm water
1 pkg active dry yeast
3 1/2 c flour
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp sugar

Combine yeast and water in bowl until dissolved. add the remaining ingredients and mix for about one minute. knead for about ten minutes. transfer dough to a bowl coated w/olive oil, cover and let rise for 1 1/2 hours. preheat oven to 475, grease baking sheet and dust with cornmeal. punch down dough, divide in half. roll each half into a ball and let rest for 10-15 minutes. flatten and roll out balls and let rest for ten more minutes, top, and bake about 12 min. from Joy of Cooking