Cauliflower Crust Pizza with White Sauce

I told you I'd be back soon. And with a killer pizza recipe to boot. So get excited, because this dish is tried and true. Actually, I've made it so many times, I have no idea how it hasn't been on the blog yet. But this is hands down my favorite way to eat starch-less pizza and has become a real staple at our house.

{riced}

{squeezed out}

{pre-baked crust}

Ingredients:
for the crust-
1/2 large head of cauliflower (if your cauli. is on the smaller side, use 3/4)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs
2-3 ounces of cheese, shredded (I usually do a mix of mozzarella and parmesan)
salt and pepper, a few pinches of dried oregano and basil
for the white sauce-
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup heavy (or light) cream
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced (depends on how garlicky you like your pizza-this is always an argument at our house)
salt and pepper
top it off-
3-4 ounces mozzarella cheese, sliced thinly or shredded (I use low-moisture cheese, because nobody likes soggy pizza)
1 ounce of parmesan, grated from the block
your choice of toppings: a handful of olives, mushrooms, sliced onions, fresh tomatoes, etc. the sky is the limit, really!

Directions:
for the crust-
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. To "rice" the cauliflower, either grate it with a box grater or pulse it in a food processor until it resembles grains of rice. Put the riced cauliflower in a large microwave safe bowl and microwave uncovered until softened, about 6-8 minutes, stirring at least once. Cool slightly.
2. Pour the cauliflower onto a kitchen towel and wring out the excess water from the cauliflower (I wear latex gloves to do this because the cauliflower is hot!). Put the wrung-out cauliflower back into a large bowl and add in the eggs, cheese, garlic, salt, pepper, basil and oregano. Stir until combined. Spread out the "dough" for the crust onto your lined baking sheet. Try and make it as thin as possible without any holes poking through.
3. Bake about 30 minutes, or until golden/light brown. The darker it gets, the crispier your pizza's crust will be-but keep in mind that you'll be putting it under the broiler later, so you don't want it to turn out burned when you're melting the cheese. (Sometimes I'll flip the crust over and bake it for another 5 minutes, just to make sure that it's thoroughly cooked.) Let cool for 10-15 minutes before you load it up with toppings.
for the white sauce-
4. While the crust bakes, you can prepare your sauce and get your toppings ready. Whisk together the sour cream, heavy cream, garlic, salt and pepper. Keep it in the fridge until you're ready to put your pizza together.
assemble it-
5. Preheat the broiler. Once your crust is golden and has cooled a bit, spread your white sauce evenly over the top, going almost to the edge. Spread the mozzarella across the sauce, then fill in the gaps with your parmesan. Lay out your choice of toppings across the cheese. (And sprinkle some dried oregano on top, if you want that pizzeria feel.) Broil 5-6 minutes, or until cheese is melty and golden in spots. Be careful to watch your pizza closely, because it'll burn quickly under the broiler. Let cool for a few minutes before cutting and serving. If you'd like, you can add some chopped fresh basil and oregano before serving as well.

*And for a recipe for tomato sauce and a variation on the white sauce, check out my first post on starch free pizza here.