Pizza with leeks, proscuitto and goat cheese (and maybe an egg)

Cornmeal, cornmeal and more cornmeal. Or maybe semolina. Or parchment paper. Or all three.

That's the advice you get online when you look for guidance on how to get a pizza to successfully slide off a pizza peel. I looked around for tips in an attempt to make better use of a the peel I got awhile back but didn't have the best success with. It got tucked away in a closet, but tonight's recipe made me decide it was time to try again.

Leek, proscuitto and goat cheese pizza
Adapted from Sur la Table

Ingredients
1 recipe pizza dough
Cornmeal, cornmeal and more cornmeal
2 tablespoons butter
2 large leeks
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, plus more sprigs for garnish (if you can find lemon thyme leaves, you'll be ecstatic with the results)
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for oiling hands
4 ounces goat cheese
5 slices proscuitto, torn into thin strips
1 large egg, optional

Method
Put a pizza baking stone into oven. Preheat to 425 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, wash leeks. Using white and light green parts only, slice lengthwise, then crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces. Soften leeks and thyme leaves in butter in a skillet over medium heat, about 5 minutes.

Put a sheet of parchment paper on pizza peel or rimless cookie sheet. Sprinkle profligately with cornmeal. Put a dab of olive oil on your hands and then roll/toss/coax pizza dough into desired shape about 1/4-inch thick and place on prepared parchment paper.

Brush dough with olive oil. Spread with leeks. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with crumbled goat cheese and proscuitto strips.

Slide pizza, with or without parchment, onto preheated baking stone. Bake for 12 minutes. If you want to top it with an egg, break egg into a bowl and then pour onto center of pizza with about 5 minutes left to go in baking time. Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes before slicing. Garnish with thyme sprigs.

Rating: The cornmeal on parchment is a winning combination to get a pizza peel to be less frustrating. Nice combination of flavors in the pizza topping, especially nice with lemon thyme from the patio herb garden. We opted for the egg on top, which worked just fine, but if that's not your thing, it's perfectly nice without that.