Pizza Today - September 2020 - 46

Many pizzerias choose to rotate menus
quarterly, infusing fresh, new seasonal offerings to accompany tried-and-true favorites
in the fall. With a persistent pandemic,
changing up a menu may seem like a risky
and daunting task. You can mitigate some of
that risk by doing the following:
1. Go for your proven winners.
2. Look back to your sales reports from
the past three to five years and find those
fall menu specials. Which fall debut items
were hits and which were duds?
3. Odds are you will find common ingredients that customers loved and ingredients
that your market just didn't care for. If you
are unable to access item-by-item data history, scour your past fall special social media
posts. Were there items that garnered more
attention than others?
4. Once you have a list of the popular
fall ingredients for your market, it's time to
think labor. Amidst a pandemic, now may
not be the time to roll out a labor-intensive
new item. Instead try preparation and
cooking techniques that do not strap your
kitchen crew. Choose methods that can be
prepped ahead or are already a part of your
makeline.
5. Now it's time to get creative in your
kitchen. Try pairing seasonal items with
those can't-miss ingredients. People may
be willing to get out of their pizza comfort
zone if they see pepperoni or sausage on
that new fall item.
Cornucopia of Harvest Produce
Take advantage of the Autumn harvest.
The bounty of fresh veggies means great
pricing and variety. Compared to other seasons, fall provides a cornucopia of delicious
possibilities. Depending on where you are in
the U.S., the abundance of autumn offerings
will be robust.
Many parts of the country can look
forward to these ripe, fall produce items:
acorn squash, apples, arugula, beets, Brussels
sprouts, butternut squash, cabbage, cranberries, fennel bulbs, figs, grapes, kale, onion,
parsnips, pears, persimmons, pomegranate,
potatoes, pumpkins, rutabagas, sweet potatoes, Swiss chard and turnips.
Show Local Love
If you are sourcing harvest produce in
your area, leverage your relationships with
local purveyors. Sing their praises. Tell the
story of the ingredients with each new fall

menu item. Community relationships are
stronger than ever in this uncertain time
and people are gravitating towards creating or reigniting that sense of community.
Demonstrating that you use local products
and promote those items on your menus
and in marketing go a longer way with your
customer base when people are staying close
to home.
This goes beyond produce. Think local
meats, cheeses, honey and other specialty
items. Showcasing farms in your area can
entice customers to purchase that out-ofthe ordinary menu special.
Harvest Pizza Inspiration
Let's look at some pizza combinations
that evoke the spirit of the autumn harvest
season. Switch around the ingredients
with those most popular toppings to create
something unique. Give these a try in your
kitchen:
* Butternut squash, sausage, fresh sage,
kale, fontina and ricotta
* Sweet potato, Sopressata and balsamic
red onions on a garlic base with mozzarella
and Parmesan
* Bacon, apple, Gouda and mozzarella on
buttered base
* Red potato, rosemary, pancetta and
smoked cheddar
* Roasted pumpkin and bleu cheese
crumbles on a ricotta base and finished with
prosciutto
* Pear and bleu cheese on an olive oil base
and finished with arugula and honey
* Balsamic and sage roasted acorn squash
and Brussels sprouts, mozzarella and
chicken, finished with goat cheese and hot
honey
AN AUTUMN BRUSCHETTA
This simple alternative to traditional bruschetta is versatile and delicious. Let's start with
the recipe.
6 slices of Italian bread, cut thick
2 tablespoons butter
1 ½ teaspoons sage
1 whole butternut squash, ½-inch dice
1 green apple, diced
1 cup crumbled pecans
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
3 tablespoons balsamic dressing
Hot honey, for garnish

Apply a heavy coating of butter to the
pizza pan. Place the diced squash on a pizza
pan. Drizzle with olive oil and add sage, salt
and pepper to taste. Mix.
Bake until the squash is tender, mixing
once after 15 minutes.
Let cool and refrigerate.
In a bowl, gently mix cooled squash with
apple and 1 tablespoon balsamic dressing (You
may add up to 3 tablespoons depending on
the consistency you want). Do not over mix
- you don't want it mushy. Set aside.
Butter both sides of bread lightly.
Grill or toast lightly until bread is slightly
browned.
Place bread on a serving plate and top each
piece with the squash mixture.
Sprinkle goat cheese and pecan crumbles.
Drizzle hot honey lightly in the same direction on all pieces.
Serve immediately. For to-go and delivery,
use separate containers to allow customers
to assemble bruschetta at home to keep its
freshness. Don't forget to add simple assembly instructions.
Go versatile with the Autumn
Bruschetta
Don't stop at bruschetta. Since you have
this dynamite combination of ingredients,
take it across the menu like this:
* Create a seasonal salad. Top a spinach
salad with squash mixture and finishing
ingredients. Make it filling by adding bacon,
Pecorino and cranberries.
* Create a fall harvest pizza. Use an olive
oil base and par bake with sliced whole-milk
mozzarella. Then add squash mixture and
bacon crumbles and bake. Finish with goat
cheese, pecans, arugula and hot honey.
Don't forget dessert
I'm going to leave you with one last idea:
a dessert that is designed for carryout and
delivery and screams autumn. Caramel
Apple Cups! Yes, who doesn't love caramel
apples in the fall? Make an apple pie filling with cinnamon. Once cool, create two
layers of each of the following in the cup in
this order: apple pie filling, caramel sauce,
chopped nuts and mascarpone. n

DENISE GREER is Executive
Editor of Pizza Today.

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Pizza Today - September 2020

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