Crispy Prosciutto and Parsley Pizza

* 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

* 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

* 1 pound pizza dough at room temperature

* Flour for rolling out the dough

* Cornmeal for dusting the pizza peel

* 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

* 1/2 cup freshly grated Fontina

* 1/4 cup freshly grated Asiago

* 8 thin slices prosciutto

1. Preheat the oven and pizza stone to 500 degrees.

2. Heat the olive oil in a small sauté pan over low heat. Add the garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Take care not to let it burn. Let it cool.

3. Cut the pizza dough into 2 pieces of equal size and roll into balls. Drape with plastic wrap and let rest 20 minutes. Using plenty of flour, roll one ball of dough into a rough rectangle about 10 inches wide and 20 inches long. The guide here is to create as long a shape as will fit on your pizza stone or sheet pan. If the dough begins to contract every time you try to roll it out, let it rest for 10 minutes to relax, then come back and try rolling it again. Pinch the dough lightly around the edge to form a rim.

4. Transfer the circle to a peel or sheet pan sprinkled with cornmeal. Dimple the dough with your fingertips so it doesn't puff up during baking. Spread a tablespoon of olive oil and half the garlic over the dough. Sprinkle half the parsley over the dough. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle half of each cheese over the parsley.

5. Slide the pizza onto the stone and bake until the crust starts to turn brown and crispy, about 5 minutes. Top with half the prosciutto and bake an additional 5 minutes or until the prosciutto starts to crisp. Drizzle with a teaspoon of garlic oil and serve. Repeat the procedure with the second ball of dough and the remaining ingredients.

● Recipes courtesy of Jody Adams, owner of Rialto restaurant in Cambridge, Mass., and author of "In the Hands of a Chef: Cooking With Jody Adams of Rialto Restaurant" (Morrow Cookbooks, $34.95).

If you're inclined to make thin-crust pizza at home, you can't go wrong with this recipe from Chef Jody Adams.

Basic Pizza Dough

* 3/4 cup warm water

* 1/2 package yeast (about 1 teaspoon)

* 1 tablespoon kosher salt

* 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

* 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour, plus more as needed

1. Proof the yeast by putting 2 tablespoons warm water in a large bowl and stirring in the yeast. Let it rest. After a few minutes, bubbles should begin to form, demonstrating that the yeast is alive and active. If nothing happens after 10 or 15 minutes, discard and start over. After proofing the yeast, add the remaining water, the salt and 2 tablespoons olive oil and mix well.

2. Divide the flour into 1/2-cup portions, with 1/4 cup left over. Use a wooden spoon to stir the flour into the yeast mixture 1/2 cup at a time. After incorporating the final 1/2 cup of flour, the dough should become too stiff to stir further; if not, gradually add the final 1/4 cup. When the dough is too stiff to stir, put it on a clean board and knead until smooth and elastic, about 7 minutes. You can sprinkle the dough with a little flour if it's too sticky to knead, but try to use as little as possible. The more flour you use, the denser the dough; the less flour, the lighter the dough, hence the crispier the crust. Try to work with dough that's still a little tacky.

3. Rub a large bowl with a tablespoon of olive oil. Put the dough in the bowl, then flip the dough so that it's completely coated with olive oil. Cover with a damp towel and allow to rise until doubled in bulk. Depending on the yeast and flour, this can take anywhere from 1 to 2 hours. For a quick dough (for use within an hour or so), go to Step 4. For a slow second rising, go to Step 5.

4. If you want to make a quick dough, punch it down after the first rising. Then cut it into however many pizzas you intend to make and roll the pieces into balls. Cover the balls with a towel and let the dough rise again at room temperature until the volume doubles, about 45 minutes. As soon as it finishes the second quick rising it's ready to use.

5. For a slow second rising, punch the dough down after the first rising finishes, cover with the towel and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours.

6. After the second rising, the dough is ready to use. Either proceed with a pizza recipe or wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate. If not using within a day, put the wrapped dough in a plastic bag and freeze it. Allow frozen dough to thaw in the refrigerator. All dough should be at room temperature before using.