that's amore

"When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie..."

-Dean Martin

Confession: I'm terrible at making pizza. I can make a mean tagine. I can make a burger that will knock your socks off. I can craft a sauce you'll dream about for a year; but ever since I can remember pizza has been impossible.

Maybe it's because I have such high expectations for my pizza, having lived in Rome and in Boston. Or that I know the best pizza comes from il forno al legno (a wood-fired oven), and that I could never, ever recreate that effect. Maybe because I fell in love with the pizza in Boston's Upper Crust (http://www.theuppercrustpizzeria.com/). Maybe all my aspirations have stunted my talent...

I have tried dough from a box. I have tried buying dough from a pizza store. Once, I admit, I even caved and bought a Tombstone pizza and put my own toppings on it. Gross, gross, gross. I had a thought once, stewing over my inability to make pizza, and blaming it all on faulty dough; that someone like Kraft ought to make a product (much like the cookie dough tubes) -- that would be pizza dough inside, instead. Keeping in mind this may violate the spirit of the art for the connoisseurs, I sure would enjoy taking credit for a chewy, salty crust.

Giving up on my million dollar Kraft dough idea, I wandered down the Italian foods aisle in the grocery store last night. Bombarded with a nearly infinite selection of sauce, I rebelled in my head, opting instead for fresh tomatoes. Fresh basil. Fresh mozzarella. Reluctantly, I chose a Boboli thin crust pre-made pizza crust as my canvass. And then, I had a beautiful idea and created what would be one of the more epic pizzas I've sunk my teeth into. Here's how:

Serves: 2

Cook time: 15 minutes

You'll need:

• Boboli "thin crust" pre-made pizza crust
• 1 container of small cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 container of fresh mozzarella, sliced
• 5 basil leaves, chopped
• 2-3 T. salted butter, melted
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• Olive oil, salt, and pepper

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2) Melt the 2-3 T butter in the microwave.

3) Press 2 cloves of garlic into the melted butter. Stir well.

4) Spread garlic butter all over the crust.

5) Bake crust with butter for 5 minutes in a 400 degree oven. (You should place the crust directly on the rack. Crust may bubble up when heated).

6) Slice mozzarella into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices. You'll want enough to cover the whole pizza.

7) Halve 1 cup of small tomatoes.

8) Chop basil.

9) Remove crust from oven.

10) Top pizza with mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil. LIGHTLY drizzle olive oil over the top. Salt and pepper the pizza.

11) Bake pizza in the 400 degree oven for 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and starting to bubble.

The secret, in case you haven't discovered, is the garlic butter. Enjoy with a glass or so of a nice red wine, like Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, and your sweetie. Because when this pie hits your lips...that's amore!