Mushroom Fontina Pizza

Make mushroom pesto. Preheat your oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Toss the mushrooms with 1 T olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Bake, stirring occasionally, until brown and crisp, about 15 minutes. For the last 10 minutes of baking, add the garlic cloves to the pan.

While the mushrooms are roasting, soak the porcinis in the hot water for 5 minutes. Strain out the rehydrated mushrooms and reserve the liquid.

In the bowl of a food processor or blender, combine the roasted mushrooms, peeled garlic cloves, porcinis, shallot, spices, remaining 3 T olive oil, and reserved soaking liquid. Process until smooth. Stir in the Parmesan.

Make pizza. Increase your oven temperature to 500°F and pop your pizza stone in there to get nice and toasty. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the mushrooms until browned and tender, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook just until fragrant. Stir in the wine and cook until almost completely evaporated.

Form the pizza by using your fingertips to stretch the dough into a circle., flattening the middle and pushing the dough out toward the edges to make the crust. Roll the outside edges over and pinch to get a thicker crust.

Carefully remove the pizza stone from the oven and sprinkle it with corn meal. Place the dough round on the stone. Lightly brush the crust with olive oil. Spread the mushroom pesto over the crust in an even layer. Top with the shredded cheeses and then layer the sauteed mushrooms.

Place back in the hot oven and bake until cheese is melted and bubbly and the crust is lightly browned, about 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven. Transfer the pizza to a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes.

Eat pizza! Slice and enjoy.