Use your favorite homemade or
store-bought pizza dough to make this 14-inch round, freeform, or
9x13-inch rectangular white pizza. Requeijão cremoso is a type
of goopy, Brazilian-style cream cheese usually sold in glasses or
plastic cups in the dairy case of many supermarkets, especially in
neighborhoods with Portuguese-speaking residents. In a pinch, you can substitute four ounces of cream cheese melted
over very low heat with four ounces of grated Muenster, stirring until
smooth. This can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator until
ready to use. Serves 6.
1 batch of pizza dough, rolled out to desired shape and size
1 14-oz can or jar of hearts of palm, cut into rounds or 1/4-inch dice
1 lb large (26-30 size) shrimp, shelled, sautéed in olive oil until pink, and sliced in half lengthwise
1 jar of requeijão cremoso (approximately 8 oz), or softened cream cheese
1/2 cup sliced scallion greens
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded parmesan
cheese
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Prebake the crust on a cookie sheet or pizza stone until just beginning to brown, 10 minutes or more. Remove from oven, flip over so that the bottom side is now on top, and spread the requeijão cremoso all over the crust (it will melt and be runny), leaving a 1/2” border around the outside edges. Sprinkle with fresh ground black pepper. Scatter hearts of palm pieces evenly over the requeijão, then scatter the shrimp on top, filling in the spaces. Finally, scatter the scallion greens and shredded cheeses evenly over the pizza.
Bake until the crust is fully cooked and the cheeses are bubbly and beginning to take on a little color, approximately 15-20 minutes. Then, be patient. I hate it when I burn the roof of my mouth, but I always do with pizza fresh from the oven. Let it cool a bit, and serve with beer or a cold, light white wine.