Inverted Pizza with Fennel, Taleggio and Salami

For this inverted pizza, we employ a mixture of sharp shallots, spiced salami and anise-y fennel. Roasting the fennel brings out its sweetness, while turning its texture soft and jammy. Once the topping mixture is cooked, we cover it in store-bought pizza dough, then bake until crisp and golden brown. (So the dough is easy to stretch and shape, be sure it’s at room temperature.) After being inverted out of the baking sheet, the pizza is dotted with slices of creamy taleggio (or brie) cheese, which melts and fills the fennel crevices with buttery-tangy richness. The cheese handles more easily when chilled, so slice it straight from the refrigerator.