Some of my favorite things

Two things I could eat just about every day are lentils and mushrooms. I put together two more of my favorite things—figs and caramelized onions—to throw together this pizza, which Cassie calls her "new favorite dinner" (Brad stuck with his usual cheese pizza). Even if you don't like figs (shame on you!) or they're out of season, you can make this with dried figs or other things you do like. For example, pears and gorgonzola would make a good combination. If you use a store-bought crust, you can have this on the table in no time, thanks to the recipe for Quick Caramelized Onions.

Pizza with Quick Caramelized Onions, Figs, and Goat Cheese

Caramelized onion recipe adapted from Melissa Clark in the New York Times

Clark says that the darker you cook the onions before adding the oil and salt, which slows the browning, the richer they will taste. Just be sure the onions don't blacken and burn, which will make them taste bad, not rich. If you have a pizza stone, heat the oven to 450 to 500 degrees. Assemble the pizza on a pizza peel, and bake directly on the stone. It may take a few extra minutes for the crust to get crispy, unless you preheat the oven for at least half an hour.

For the Quick Caramelized Onions
1 large onion, thinly sliced from pole to pole
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
fine sea salt
water, as needed

To assemble the pizza
1 pizza crust, homemade or store-bought (I used Trader Giotto's Pizza Crust)
extra-virgin olive oil
6–7 fresh figs (skins on) or dried mission figs, stems trimmed and quartered lengthwise
fresh chèvre goat cheese
freshly ground black pepper
kosher salt

    1. For the Quick Caramelized Onions: Set a large stainless steel skillet over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the onions and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally (a wooden spoon with a flat edge works well here), until the onions begin to soften and turn dark brown (but not black and burned), about 5 minutes. Stir in the oil and a pinch of salt. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the onions are soft and caramelized, about 5 minutes more. When the bottom of the pan is glazed with a brown fond, add 1 tablespoon of water and scrape up the browned bits. Repeat as necessary until the onions are caramelized. Set aside to cool.
    2. Heat the oven to 425 degrees (see note). Line an 18-by-13-inch sheet pan with foil. Place the pizza crust on the pan, and brush the top and bottom lightly with olive oil (you can also spray both sides with Trader José's Organic Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil Spray). Spread the caramelized onions evenly over the crust, leaving a 1-inch border. Scatter the fig pieces evenly over the caramelized onions. Break off pieces of goat cheese and place around the fig pieces. Drizzle with a little bit more olive oil. Grind just a touch of fresh pepper over the top of everything. Sprinkle over a tiny pinch of kosher salt.
    3. Bake until the cheese is softened and the crust is golden brown and crisp on the edges, about 8 minutes. Let rest for a few minutes before cutting into pieces, then serve promptly. Serves 2 with a salad on the side. Double the recipe if you're really hungry.

Variation
Prosciutto is a great addition to this pizza. Cut a couple of thin slices of prosciutto into 1-inch pieces and scatter on top of the caramelized onions along with the figs.