French bread pizza with tomato, mozzarella, basil and balsamic-garlic drizzle
This is one of the simplest pizzas you can possibly make. You don’t have to make pizza dough, you don’t have to make tomato sauce, and there’s no pizza stone required.
A halved baguette makes a perfect pizza crust. It gets light and crispy on the outside during cooking, while inside it retains much of its softness. There’s no need for a separate tomato sauce because the sliced fresh tomatoes — drizzled with a mix of balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and garlic — soften and lightly caramelize during cooking, forming their own “sauce”. The mozzarella cheese becomes delightfully melty and gooey, and the basil adds a burst of fresh herbiness. It’s a simple but mouthwatering combination of classic Italian flavors, with a French twist.
This pizza tastes perfect as it is, but if you want to add some more protein then anchovies, prosciutto, diced ham or chunks of good-quality canned tuna are all tasty options.
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove — minced
1 baguette
6 oz (170g) mozzarella cheese — grated
4 tomatoes — sliced
A handful of fresh basil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Variations: Use fresh mozzarella, and arrange it in thin slices on the baguette bases before adding the tomato. If your basil leaves are on the large side, just roughly chop or tear them first.
