Day 11: French Bread Caprese Pizza

During my last challenge, I stated that if Paul were stranded on a deserted island he could live on taco meat alone. Well, if it was an upscale island, he would live on Caprese Salad. He had his first "real" Caprese about 2 years ago when we visited my dad in Texas. My dad's friend owns an Italian restaurant and made Paul his special caprese salad. It's special because Benot, the owner, only makes it for his friends and really good customers. It is too time consuming to have on the menu. He slices everything crazy thin and stacks the cheese, tomato, capers, and red onions onto the plate and drizzles it with imported olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Paul loved it so much that in the 7 nights we were in Texas, we ate at Benot's 5 of them.

Paul has tried to replicate this fabulous salad at home; after a few attempts, here is his most successful:
So, tonight is all about my wonderful husband who works sooo hard so that I can have my dream job. I, myself, do not care for any part of the Caprese salad. No thank you tomatoes, capers, basil, or fresh mozzarella, but I was willing to give some of it a try.

This recipe is from my WW: Annual Recipes for Success(2000). I just found this cookbook in my pantry and am pretty damn excited about it. It has a ton of recipes that sound ah-mazing.

Calories: 316 per serving WW:6 points

French Bread Caprese Pizza(6 servings)
16oz loaf of French bread
1 1/2 cups tomato and basil pasta sauce(They recommend Barilla)
2 tablespoons capers
6oz mozzarella cheese(I used Fresh. They recommended pre-sliced Deli)
Fresh Basil leaves(I bought the ones still on the root)
Tomato

Step 1: Slice French Bread in half horizontally and top both halves with sauce.

Step 2: Sprinkle capers evenly over sauce and place cheese on top. Top with sliced vine ripened tomato

Step 3: Bake on cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes at 425 degrees

Step 4: Finish off with fresh basil.

Kitchen Play by Play: Hello, easy. Total prep time: maybe 5 minutes. I almost didn't make both halves because it looked like too much, but Paul told me not to count my chickens before they were hatched. He said he couldn't make any promises about not taking down an entire half by himself.* So, I made both. One for him and one for Austin and I. Paul's had it all. Ours' had sauce and cheese. I forgot Austin liked capers, so he stole a few of Paul's. My fresh mozzarella brick was 8 oz, and I used it all. I did measure the capers and sauce. Plenty of both. I only used 1 tablespoon of capers since they were only going on Paul's half. I put them in the oven for 12 minutes. Paul added his basil and kept his in the oven on warm for about 3 more minutes. He didn't want the basil crisp; he wanted it to meld with the cheese a little. I put my piece back in under the broiler after cutting a piece for Austin. I like my pizza super crispy. After 2 minutes it was crispy and the cheese was a little browned. We had watermelon and green beans with the meal.

The Finished Product
The Verdict:
Nicole- I'm not sure if my rating even counts seeing as how I only had sauce and cheese; but if it does, I give it a 5. It was REALLY yummy. I actually told Paul that it was easier then making a Pillsbury pizza crust pizza and much tastier. I can see this becoming a new Fraser family staple. Maybe next time I'll add some veggies to mine and Austin's. The Barilla sauce was amazing. I didn't miss traditional pizza sauce at all. Austin and I had a watermelon eating contest...he won and that is saying a a lot because I can take down an entire watermelon in one sitting. Seriously, I've done it on more than one occasion.

Paul- gives it a 4.5. Austin's comment this evening says it all. "Daddy, sloooow down. You're gonna choke!"

Austin- ate it like it was his job. He is his mother's son. He loves pizza. It may have something to do with the amount of pizza he ate in utero. I couldn't get enough when I was pregnant. We ate pizza 3-4 times a week. My 53 lb weight gain was proof of this fact.**

*No, Paul did not eat an entire half. He ate about 2/3.
** Yes, I really gained 53lbs. Only 30 with Peyton. I have lost it all since, but if I hadn't started this challenge I would have been on my way to putting it back on :)