Roast Duck Pizza with Hoisin Sauce and Pineapple

Fusion cooking is something which is widely ridiculed by a number of top chefs and food industry professionals in modern times. At best, it is considered by its critics to be nothing but an outdated relic of the 1970's. While there can be no doubt that some of the creations born of fusion cooking sound ridiculous and taste unusual at best, that does not mean to say that the practice can not on occasion pay handsome dividends. I believe that this particular fusion of Italian and Chinese cuisine is one instance where the concept works extremely well.

Ingredients per 12" Pizza

6oz plain/all purpose flour
1 tsp active dried yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 fl oz lukewarm water

4oz leftover roast duck
2 tbsp thick consistency, hoisin sauce
1 ring of pineapple (canned in own juice)
2oz pizza mozzarella cheese
2oz cheddar cheese
2 to three basil leaves for garnish (optional)

Method

The dough for the pizza base will require to be made first of all, as it requires resting for approximately an hour. Put the flour, yeast and salt in to a large mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon. Form a well in the centre and pour in the water and olive oil. Stir until a dough starts to form then set the spoon aside and use your hands to finish combining the ingredients. Knead for about 5 to 7 minutes, return to the lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave to rest and rise for about an hour.

Put your oven on to preheat to 450F/230C.

If you are using a pizza pan, rather than a pizza stone, very lightly grease it with olive oil. Knock the air out of the rested dough and roll out with a rolling pin to a circle the approximate size of your pan. When you have rolled the dough to the approximate size of your pan, place it inside and use your fingers to gently stretch it to the dimensions of the pan, careful not to tear it.

You could at this stage simply spread the hoisin sauce over the pizza dough and place the duck on top. I prefer, however, to firstly stir the duck pieces in to the hoisin sauce and then carefully spread the mixture on the dough, leaving a crust border of about 1/2" all the way around. I think this helps to protect the duck and keep it moist during cooking, as it has after all already been cooked.

Cut the pineapple ring in to fairly small pieces and scatter it over the duck and sauce mixture.

The mozzarella should be sliced and chopped in to half inch strips. The cheddar should be grated. Mix them together and scatter them over the pizza last of all.

Place the pizza in to the oven for 12 to 15 minutes until the cheese has begun to bubble and the crust has started to brown.

Remove the pizza from the oven and leave it to rest for a couple of minutes. Lift it carefully from the pan with a spatula and place it on a cutting board. Tear and scatter the basil leaves on top, if desired. Use a pizza cutter to cut the pizza in to the desired number of slices and serve. (Important: Never cut the pizza while it is still in the pan, as this is likely to damage the pan.)