HOT PIZZA SOUP WITH CAESAR SALAD DOTS
Serves 6
How often do you go out to your favorite pizza place and get Caesar salad and pizza? We reimagined this classic American combination as a soup.
First, there’s a hot pizza soup made with tomatoes, pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese, and garnished with croutons made of pizza dough. Then, we pair it with a chilled romaine soup, garnished with frozen dots of pureed hearts of romaine and Caesar dressing. The lettuce soup has a fresh, clean flavor that is perfect against the rich pizza soup. The croutons give it texture and crunch. It’s everything you love about eating at your neighborhood pizzeria, all in one bowl.
PIZZA DOUGH CROUTONS:
200 grams all-purpose flour
5 grams salt, plus more for seasoning the croutons
115 grams water
10 grams honey
2 grams active dry yeast
40 grams extra virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for oiling the sheet pan
Semolina for dusting the pan
PIZZA SOUP:
70 grams pepperoni
25 grams shallot, sliced
10 grams garlic, smashed
1000 grams heirloom tomatoes, crushed
1 gram dried oregano
1 gram dried basil
0.5 gram dried thyme
5 grams salt
25 grams mozzarella
ROMAINE SOUP:
250 grams romaine leaves, outer green leaves only, hearts reserved for Romaine Dots
1.5 grams salt, plus more for salting the blanching liquid
150 grams ice water
5 grams sugar
ROMAINE DOTS:
150 grams romaine hearts
0.75 gram salt, plus more for salting the blanching liquid
25 grams water
3 grams sugar
1 gram xanthan gum (see Sources, here)
CAESAR DRESSING:
40 grams (about 2 large) egg yolks
20 grams Dijon mustard
10 grams anchovy
5 grams garlic, smashed
3 grams salt
150 grams canola oil
20 grams extra virgin olive oil
20 grams fresh lemon juice
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
Liquid nitrogen (see Sources, here; optional)
Insulated cooler or dewar (optional)
PIZZA DOUGH CROUTONS:
Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend together the flour and salt. Put the water, honey, and yeast in a measuring cup and stir to combine. Let the yeast bloom for 3 to 5 minutes. Pour the water mixture into the flour mixture and add 10 grams of olive oil. Mix on medium-low until the dough comes together and wraps around the paddle. If the mixture seems too wet, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time until it is slightly tacky, but not wet. Switch to the dough hook attachment and knead the dough on medium speed until it is firm and elastic and bounces back when you press it. Transfer the dough to an oiled mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight; it should double in size by morning.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Oil a sheet pan and dust with semolina flour. Reserve. Lightly dust the countertop with flour and turn out the dough. Dust the top with flour and roll it out into a rough rectangle, approximately ¼ inch thick. Cut the dough into ½-inch squares and brush with olive oil on all sides. Lay them out in the prepared sheet pan and season with salt. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes, until they are golden brown and crisp. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. The Pizza Dough Croutons may be stored in an airtight container until ready to use.
PIZZA SOUP:
Put the pepperoni in a medium saucepan set over medium heat, and let it render slowly until the fat is released and the meat crisps, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the shallot and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, until they are translucent and aromatic. Add the crushed tomatoes, oregano, basil, thyme, and salt. Bring to a simmer and then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
While the tomato sauce is cooking, shred the mozzarella. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and spread the cheese over it in an even layer. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool at room temperature and peel the cheese from the paper.
Transfer the cooked tomato sauce to a blender and add the caramelized mozzarella. Blend on high for 1 minute, until completely smooth. Prepare an ice bath. Strain the Pizza Soup through a fine-mesh sieve into a stainless-steel bowl or pitcher and cool in the prepared ice bath, refreshing the ice as needed. Once cold, the Pizza Soup may be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator until ready to serve, up to 5 days.
ROMAINE SOUP:
Bring a large saucepot of water to a boil. Season the water with salt until it tastes like ocean water. Prepare an ice bath. Blanch the romaine leaves for 30 seconds and then transfer them immediately to the ice bath to cool. Drain and put the romaine leaves in a blender with 150 grams of water, 1.5 grams of salt, and the sugar. Blend on high for 1 minute, until completely smooth. Strain the soup through a fine-mesh sieve. The Romaine Soup may be kept in a covered container in the refrigerator until ready to serve, up to 24 hours.
ROMAINE DOTS:
Bring a large saucepot of water to a boil. Season the water with salt until it tastes like ocean water. Prepare an ice bath. Separate the romaine hearts into individual leaves and blanch for 30 seconds. Immediately transfer to the ice bath and cool completely. Drain and put the hearts of romaine in a blender with 25 grams of water, 0.75 gram of salt, the sugar, and xanthan gum. Blend for 1 minute, until completely smooth. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve. Transfer to a squeeze bottle large enough to hold all the soup.
Fill a small insulated cooler or dewar with liquid nitrogen. Holding the squeeze bottle upside down about 8 inches above the surface of the liquid nitrogen, slowly drip the romaine puree into the nitrogen until your bottle is empty. Use a slotted spoon to scoop the dots out of the liquid nitrogen, reserving the remaining nitrogen for the Caesar Dressing. Transfer the dots to a covered container and store in the freezer until ready to serve. Alternatively, line a sheet pan with parchment paper and squeeze small drops of the romaine mixture onto the paper. Freeze for at least 3 hours, until the dots are frozen solid. Peel the dots off the parchment paper and store in an airtight container in the freezer until ready to serve.
CAESAR DRESSING:
Put the egg yolks, Dijon mustard, anchovy, garlic, and salt in a blender and blend to make a paste. With the blender running on low, slowly drizzle in the canola oil, followed by the olive oil and lemon juice, until you have a creamy dressing. Transfer to a squeeze bottle.
Fill a small insulated cooler or dewar with liquid nitrogen. Holding the squeeze bottle upside down about 8 inches above the surface of the liquid nitrogen, slowly drip the Caesar dressing into the nitrogen until the bottle is empty. Strain the dots out of the liquid nitrogen, allowing the remainder to dissipate naturally. Transfer the dots to a covered container and store in the freezer until ready to serve. Alternatively, line a sheet pan with parchment paper and squeeze small drops of the Caesar Dressing onto the paper. Freeze for at least 3 hours until the dots are frozen solid. Peel the dots off the parchment paper and store in an airtight container in the freezer until ready to serve.
TO FINISH:
Put 600 grams of Pizza Soup in a small saucepot and bring to 130°F. Pour 100 grams of the soup into half of a large, shallow bowl. Repeat with 5 more bowls. Pour 75 grams of the chilled Romaine Soup into the other side of the bowl, keeping the two soups separate. Arrange 5 croutons on the pizza side. Add 10 grams of Caesar Dressing dots and 15 grams of Romaine Dots to the Romaine Soup. Serve immediately.
