Jalapeño Flatbread

Hey folks, it's me, Jess with a recipe to share.  Our favorite local bar features a whole section of flatbreads on its appetizer menu.  While I was pregnant, I became obsessed with jalapeños and started ordering a flatbread so spicy I could barely eat it.  Since then, we've learned to recreate this flatbread at home and make it fairly often.  It's fast, easy and delicious!

Here's what you need:

• Prepared Pizza Dough
• 7.5 ounce container of cream cheese (We like Philadelphia Chive and Onion)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• handful of cilantro, minced
• 4 slices of thick-cut bacon, chopped into chunks
• 1/2 of a large red onion, sliced thinly
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 8 ounces of grated cheese (We use a mixture of mozzarella and sharp cheddar, but you can use your favorite)
• 2 jalapeños, sliced into rings (You can remove seeds if you want it milder.  The more seeds--the spicier your flatbread will be!)
• Salt and pepper to taste

To start, you'll need your favorite pizza dough.  You could easily buy pizza dough at any grocery store, but Martha Stewart has our go-to recipe.   If you have a pizza stone, you'll want to get it heating up in a 450 degree convection oven.  You can also use a sheet pan if you don't have a pizza stone.  Before heating, sprinkle on a little bit of cornmeal or semolina flour to prevent the crust from sticking.  While the stone or pan is heating up, crisp up the bacon a small saucepan. When the bacon is done, drain it and set it on a paper towel.  Add your sliced onion to this pan on a low heat.  You want to cook the onion slowly, to caramelize it.  Once it softens, add the balsamic vinegar and sauté for a couple more minutes.

This flatbread uses a white sauce, which we make quickly by using herb cream cheese.  Mix the container of cream cheese with the garlic and cilantro.  If you have plain cream cheese, you may want to add some additional herbs, like chopped chives. Now you've got your toppings ready to go!

Once your pizza stone is pre-heated, roll out the crust on top and spread on the cream cheese mixture.   Sprinkle salt and pepper over the cream cheese and crust.  Cover the crust with shredded cheese, bacon, caramelized onion and sliced jalapeño.

Bake at 450 degrees convection for 10-12 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and the crust is golden brown.  (Note--if you're cooking on a sheet pan, you will likely need to increase the cooking time.)

Cool slightly and use a pizza cutter to slice it into wedges.  Now, it's chow time!

You can always customize your flatbread with other toppings, too.  In the summer, we occasionally add zucchini or sliced tomato from our garden.  Give it a try and let us know how much you liked it in the comments below!