Recipe: Lemon Basil Cheese Pizza from Pies & Plates in Punta Gorda, Fla.

My Homemade Lemon Basil Cheese Pizza - Not Pretty but Refreshingly Delicious

A lemon pizza? You betcha! How about a lemon basil cheese pizza for a quirky recipe? Last week I participated in a hands-on cooking class at Pies & Plates in Punta Gorda, Fla. In addition to having a culinary academy, the place is a restaurant for breakfast and lunch as well as a terrific place to pick up nifty kitchen gadgets, such as a spritzer to place in lemons and limes.

This is What Lemon Mozzarella Pizza Should Look Like Before Going in the Oven.

One of the items made during the class was lemon pizza and it was deliciously refreshing especially on a warm summer Florida day. I decided to make this over the weekend but modify it with basil, one of the few herbs I've been able to grow successfully on my back patio.

This pizza is really easy to make and trust me, it's yummy!

Recipe for Lemon Basil Cheese Pizza

Ingredients:

• Pizza Crust Dough
• One Lemon 
• Handful of Basil Leaves
• Pound of Mozzarella Cheese
• Olive Oil
• Ground Black Pepper 

Instructions:

Heat oven to 425⁰ F.

If you're not into making your own pizza crust dough head to the grocery store to pick some up. I made my dough in the bread maker (a wedding gift received in 1998!) and ended up using half the dough now and freezing the rest for another day.

Spread and stretch the dough onto a pizza pan. But, if you're like me, just make it as round as possible and place it on a cookie sheet.

Slice the lemon as thinly as possible or if you're brave, use a Mandoline Slicer for paper-thin slices. Evenly place on top of dough.

Arrange basil leaves on top of the lemon slices.

Grate the cheese and sprinkle evenly on top of basil and lemon slices. 

Drizzle olive oil on top of cheese. (Maybe between 1 and 2 tablespoons.)

Sprinkle ground black pepper.

Place in heated oven and back 15 - 20 minutes or until crust and cheese are golden. 

Enjoy!

Slice of Lemon Mozzarella Pizza but Jazz it Up with Basil!

If you'll be in Southwest Florida be sure to check out Pies & Plates. Either join a cooking class, stop in for lunch (try their famous Gooey Butter Cake!) or shop for those unique culinary gadgets. 

Disclosure:This post contains an affiliate link to support my quest for quirky and the kitsch.