Pizza with White Sauce, Caramelized Onions and Arugula

I hope you're not bored with all the pizza on this blog lately. It wasn't intentional, but happens to be the product of my latest obsession. I actually blame Peter Reinhart, and you can too, because his crust is just too good to be true.

For a little variety, I used white sauce instead of red and infused it with garlic and basil. Next, caramelized onions, and while the pizza is still hot, it's scattered with arugula. I also drizzled on some balsamic syrup for a little sweetness.

PIZZA WITH WHITE SAUCE, CARAMELIZED ONIONS AND ARUGULA

For this recipe, I used two of Peter Reinhart’s crusts.

White Sauce (recipe follows)
Caramelized onions
Pizza Dough
2 cups arugula
Mozzarella cheese, sliced or shredded

Place the pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500 degrees for 45 minutes to one hour. While the oven preheats, make the sauce.

Prepare the crusts. When you’re ready to assemble the pizza, remove the pizza stone and gently lay the pizza crust on top. It will begin to crisp immediately. Spread white sauce over the crust. Scatter onions in an even layer, then the mozzarella. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the crust is crisp and the toppings are brown in spots. Immediately add arugula, which will begin to melt when it meets the heat. Cool for 3 to 5 minutes, then slice and serve hot.

White Sauce Infused with Basil

2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup whole milk
Salt and pepper to taste
2 small garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

In a small saucepan, melt butter. Add flour and whisk to combine. Pour in milk and continue to whisk, eliminating any lumps. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes more, until sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and add in garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Stir to combine and check for seasonings. If the sauce is too thick, add more milk until it thins.