Salty and sweet: pear and blue cheese pizza

I admit, when I first saw the word "pear" in close proximity to "pizza" I was sceptical. Fruit? Really? (I know there's a school of thought that says pineapple is an acceptable pizza topping, but I think I left that school about 20 years ago.)

But actually the sweetness of the pear is perfect with the salty blue cheese. I'm often a fan of the classic tomato sauce on pizza, but the slowly cooked onion is great for a change, and the caramelly notes adding another dimension, with the spinach as a gentle backdrop of earthiness.
 

This is based on a recipe by Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall from River Cottage Fruit Every Day, although I've given it a few tweaks.

I know you can get ready-made bases, but I urge you to make your own. The flavour and texture are so much better, and especially as there's no tomato sauce, the quality of your base will really shine through.

Question: does the lack of tomato sauce make this a pizza bianca? There seem to be two schools of thought: that any pizza without tomato is a pizza bianca, or that a pizza bianca is the simplest type of pizza, dough with just salt and rosemary on top. I'm not sure which is correct - do let me know in the comments below if you know.

Ingredients 

Makes 2 large pizzas

For the base:

300g strong white bread flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp fast-acting / easy-blend dried yeast
200ml warm water

For the spinach and blue cheese topping:

4 onions
1 tsp olive oil or a knob of butter
150g baby spinach leaves
1 pear
100g blue cheese of your choice (Stilton, gorgonzola or dolcellate will all work well)

Method

If you have a bread maker with a dough setting, you can just put the dough ingredients in it (or follow the instructions in your bread maker).

Otherwise, mix the flour, yeast and salt, and gradually add the water until you have a soft dough. Knead for five minutes. Divide the dough in two.

Roll out each pizza base with a rolling pin, or stretch into shape if you feel like it. Lift onto lightly floured baking trays. Cover with clean towels or lightly oiled cling film. Leave to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

While this is happening, slice the onions thinly and put them in a large heavy-based frying pan or saucepan with the oil or butter. Cook over a low heat for 20-30 minutes or until completely softened and translucent.

Heat the oven as hot as it will go. Cook the base for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the oven. I sometimes turn the bases over at this point to help them cook evenly, but it's not essential. Spread the onions over the pizza bases, followed by the spinach leaves (they will cook in the heat of the oven). Slice the pear thinly and arrange the pear slices on top, followed by the crumbled blue cheese.

Return to the oven for about another 5 minutes (it will depend on how hot your oven is) until the base is crisp, the spinach wilted and the cheese melted. Eat right away, with a self-satisfied grin.