Yields: 4 servings
INGREDIENTS
Beer Cheese
4oz aged white cheddar, diced
4oz cream cheese
1 tablespoon Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Porter Mustard or Dijon Mustard
1½ teaspoons minced garlic cloves
1½ teaspoons Worchestershire sauce
½ cup Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Flatbread
12oz store-bought pizza dough
1 cup shredded fontina cheese
6 ounces Mexican chorizo
1 green apple, thinly sliced
Fresh basil, for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare the beer cheese. Place diced cheese in a food processor or blender and pulse until pea-sized. Add cream cheese, garlic, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce and begin blending. With processor running, slowly add just enough Pale Ale to create a smooth puree.
Cook the chorizo. Remove the chorizo from the casing and cook over medium-high heat in a medium skillet until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess fat and set aside to cool.
Prepare the Big Green Egg for pizza/flatbread. Open both vents fully. Fill BGE with charcoal (5cm from the fire ring). Light a fire starter and place it in a teepee made of charcoal until the fire starter burns away (about 5-10 minutes), then close the dome and wait until it comes to 500-550°F. When the temperature reaches 450°F, begin adjusting vents slowly to slowly bring up to temperature (the rEEGulator will be about 25% open and the draft door about ¾-1 inch open). Place the convEGGtor face up for indirect cooking right on top of coals, then place grate on top. Place the pizza stone on top of the grate. The temperature will drop and the rise again. Maintain temperature for at least 30 minutes before cooking.
Build the flatbread. On a floured surface, press the crust out to an oval, about 12-14 inches, depending on the size of your pizza stone (the pizza should be slightly smaller than the pizza stone, so the crust doesn’t burn). For easy transfer, place the pizza dough on a round of parchment paper. Spread 3/4 cup beer cheese over the crust as sauce. Sprinkle with shredded fontina and top with crumbled cooked chorizo, and apple slices.
Cook the flatbread. Insert the pizza wedges on the BGE to hold the lid ajar and shut the dome so it rests on the wedges. Slide the flatbread onto the pizza stone with a pizza peel or flat baking sheet and cook for 10-12 minutes until cooked through and browned and bubbly, using the pizza peel to rotate the pizza halfway through.
Slice and serve. Top with fresh basil, slice, and serve.
