Cheesy Corn and Ranch Pizza with Black-Pepper Honey

You could make your own pizza dough. (My favorite recipe is Bobby Flay’s on FoodNetwork.com; it’s simple, straightforward, and tastes great every time.) But more often than not, I like to buy frozen dough or even the kind that comes in a tube, which is perfect for a quick meal. I never apologize for a good shortcut. What does matter are the toppings: One of the greatest revelations I had on a recent trip to the Motherland was the pivotal role that sweetness played in the pizzas there, thanks to ingredients like corn, goguma (Korean sweet potato), and yes, ranch dressing. Ranch lends creaminess but also a dulcet savoriness that’s reminiscent of a peppy Alfredo sauce. Additionally, as avid fans of California Pizza Kitchen’s barbecue chicken pizza, Jean and I decided to emulate it by adding cilantro and red onion. The jalapeño is a nod to my aunts Julia and Georgia, who both love cooking with the fruity green chiles. That pizza is great on its own, but the pièce de résistance is the black-pepper honey. At one Italian restaurant my cousin Eunbi took me to in Seoul, they served pizzas with little dishes of runny honey, which, alongside a white pizza like this, turns out to be an excellent dipping sauce for the crust. Just trust me.

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% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Step 2

2. Grease a 9 × 13-inch sheet pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Place the dough in the pan and use your fingers to push it across the pan and into the corners as best as you can. Spread the ranch dressing evenly over the dough, then sprinkle with the mozzarella. Top with the corn, cilantro, red onion, and jalapeño, and drizzle the vegetables with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.

Step 3

3. Bake until the crust is browned and the toppings are slightly caramelized, 20 to 25 minutes.

Step 4

4. Cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into squares. Pour the honey into a small dish, add a few pinches of the pepper, and serve alongside the pizza.