This is part three of Chrissy Wilmes' Chef's Choice profile of John Caton of Benton Park Cafe. Part one can be found here. Part two, a Q&A with Caton, is here.
Everyone has a favorite type of pizza. Whether it's thick crust or thin, red sauce or white, St. Louis style or New York, there's something for everyone. Because of pizza's vague definition, it's a dish that constantly evolves and reverts. Really, it's a blank canvas.
Still, John Caton's recipe questions everything we thought we knew about pizza. He subs scrambled eggs in place of sauce; he stuffs the crust -- albeit with fresh, hand-tossed dough and Provel cheese; he covers the toppings with a light sprinkling of cheese, rather than gobs of it. And you know what? It's brilliant.
The Provel baked into the egg makes a wonderful texture, and the flavor is so full that you don't miss the sauce. As for the stuffed crust, if you're expecting Pizza Hut, forget it -- this crust gets a light sprinkling of St. Louis' most in/famous cheese rather than thick ropes of mozzarella. Caton not only redefines what a St. Louis-style pizza could be, he makes us wonder why it took us so long to get here.
Classic Breakfast Pizza 1 9-oz. dough ball 6 oz. scrambled eggs 3 oz. sliced white mushrooms 3 oz. diced tomato 3 oz. diced white onion 3 oz. crumbled bacon 7 oz. shredded Provel cheese 1/2 oz. olive oil 1/2 oz. dry ranch seasoning
Roll pizza dough to approximately 14" in diameter.
Line edge of crust with 2 oz. Provel. Roll cheese into crust.
Pour scrambled egg onto crust.
Apply remainder of Provel evenly over the egg mix.
Apply mushrooms, tomato, onion and bacon on top of cheese.
Apply light coating of olive oil on rolled crust.
Sprinkle dry ranch seasoning on rolled crust.
Bake in a conventional oven at 425 degrees for 22 to 25 minutes.
Remove from oven when egg is firm and cheese begins to brown.
Let stand for three minutes, cut and serve.
