Pizza Margherita Alfredo

I love an Alfredo sauce and love Margherita Pizza with the flavors of tomato, fresh basil and mozzarella. My thought is to combine the two into one great pizza.
To make this as inexpensive as possible, I picked up pizza dough at the store for $1.00 per bag. You can make your own dough recipe if you really want to get up close and personal. I like that it's done for me, it tastes good and prep time is minimal. Also if you know your local pizzeria well they often sell you just the dough.
The vine ripe tomatoes were $1.99 per pound, I have fresh basil in the garden, inexpensive Parmesan Cheese I picked up for $2.40 (using about half the container) and the heavy cream was not on sale; the cost $3.59. The total cost for one large pie: $9.72. We should get eight slices out of our 12 inch pie. That's $.81 cents per slice. If you want to stretch the dough to 14 inches, then your yield will be ten slices.

• Pizza dough
• Alfredo Sauce (recipe below)
• Fresh ripe tomatoes
• Fresh basil leaves - keep the small ones whole or shred the larger leaves.
• Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• Olive Oil
• Cornmeal for the bottom of the pizza pan

1. To start this recipe put your dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm place until it doubles in size. About 2 hours.
2. Punch it down and form into a ball and place it back in the bowl and cover and let it rise one more time. Takes about two more hours.

While the dough is doing its' thing, make the Alfredo sauce.

Basic Alfredo Sauce Recipe:

• 1 Cup Heavy Cream
• 1 Cup grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1 Tbsp. Butter
• ⅛ Tsp. grated Nutmeg
• ½ Tsp. White Pepper

1. In a sauce pot over medium to medium low heat, melt the butter.
2. Add in the heavy cream and warm to a low simmer (just until the outer edges start to bubble).
3. Next whisk in the Parmesan Cheese, Nutmeg and White Pepper until incorporated and keep stirring until the sauce thickens slightly.  If you dip a spoon in and it coats the back of the spoon, the sauce is ready.

Onto the assembly. Preheat your oven to 475° F.

1. Slice your tomatoes about 1/4 thick.
2. Wash and dry your basil leaves.
3. Sprinkle the bottom of your pizza pan with some cornmeal.
4. Work the dough with your hands or a rolling pin dusted with flour stretching it to fit the pan.
5. Ladle on the Alfredo sauce using the back of the ladle to spread the sauce.
6. Add the slices of tomato on top.
7. Add the fresh basil leaves
8. Top with cheese
9. Bake in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is completely melted.