As chefs and brothers (and secretly, ninjas), we’ve spent decades perfecting ways to make healthy food taste great. Making good food that everyone can enjoy is something we stand behind and one of the many reasons why we especially appreciate Kite Hill products, the makers of revolutionary, plant-based food. Leading up to their launch in 2013, they’ve successfully brought to market an array of wicked awesome plant-based cheeses, using simple ingredients and following traditional cheesemaking methods.
Starting with non-GMO almonds grown in California’s San Joaquin Valley, Kite Hill’s process differs from most plant-based producers in that they start with and follow the same milk-making process behind dairy-based cheese (which is transforming the almond milk into curds and whey). From there, they add their own blend of cultures and enzymes grown exclusively on a vegetable-based medium to create a plant-based cheese that mimics its dairy equivalent in aroma, taste and texture.
Achieving this result took years to develop, and required the knowledge and skill of leading experts to perfect. The team at Kite Hill includes Tal Ronnen, celebrated plant-based chef and owner of Los Angeles’s Crossroads; Monte Casino, former cheese-making instructor at Le Cordon Bleu; Stanford biochemist Pat Brown, co-founder of the non-profit Public Library of Science; Matthew Sade, serial entrepreneur and business leader; and Jean Prevot, former cheese-maker for Laura Chenel Chèvre.
Today, we’re using Kite Hill’s Ricotta to make four wicked delicious pizzas with help from master baker Sean Coyne on the sour dough pizza platforms. Sean is also going to be featured in the upcoming Wicked Healthy Cookbook along with Chef Tal Ronnen, both masters in their field and good friends of the wicked (that’s us) … Here’s what we did and the results were amazing!
Spicy Pizza with Kite Hill Ricotta
Yields: 1 Pizza
INGREDIENTS:
250 g pizza dough
95 g tomato sauce
1 TB red onion, sautéed
1 TB roasted red pepper, diced
1 TB black olives, chopped
1 TB Calabrian Chili Peppers, chopped
50 g Kite Hill Ricotta
METHOD:
Preheat oven to 475.
Stretch out dough.
Place sauce in middle of formed dough and spread out evenly.
Place the next four ingredients evenly over the top.
Dollop small portions of ricotta throughout the pizza evenly.
Bake for 8-12 minutes, or until the dough is fully cooked and the bottom is a little crispy.
Market Vegetable Pizza with Kite Hill Ricotta
Yields: 1 Pizza
INGREDIENTS:
250 g pizza dough
35 g zucchini, roasted and sliced
35 g mushrooms, sautéed
35 g cherry tomatoes (halved and roasted at 225 degrees for 45 minutes)
90 g Kite Hill Ricotta
1 TB olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
METHOD:
Preheat oven to 475.
Stretch out dough.
Place sauce in middle of formed dough and spread out evenly.
Place the next three ingredients evenly over the top.
Dollop small portions of ricotta throughout the pizza evenly.
Bake for 8-12 minutes, or until the dough is fully cooked and the bottom is a little crispy.
Finish with the olive oil and salt
Italian Herb Pizza with Kite Hill Ricotta
Yields: 1, 16-inch Pizza
INGREDIENTS:
325 g pizza dough
180 g tomato sauce
100 g Miyoko’s Buffalo-Style Mozzarella
100 g Kite Hill Ricotta
2 TB fresh oregano
2 TB olive oil
1 tsp garlic, sliced thinly
1/2 tsp salt
METHOD:
Preheat oven to 475.
Stretch out dough.
Place sauce in middle of formed dough and spread out evenly.
Dollop small portions of mozzarella and ricotta throughout the pizza evenly.
Sprinkle with the oregano, olive oil, garlic and salt.
Bake for 8-12 minutes, or until the dough is fully cooked and the bottom is a little crispy.
Arugula and Spinach Pizza with Kite Hill Ricotta
Yields: 1 Pizza
INGREDIENTS:
250 g pizza dough
100 g of arugula and spinach
1 TB lemon
1 1/2 TB olive oil
45 g Kite Hill Ricotta
1/2 tsp of salt and pepper
METHOD:
Preheat oven to 475.
Stretch out dough.
Toss the greens with the lemon and olive oil, then spread out evenly over the top of the formed dough.
Dollop small portions of ricotta throughout the pizza evenly.
Bake for 8-12 minutes, or until the dough is fully cooked and the bottom is a little crispy.
