Cacio e pepe

The Roman pasta, moved onto a crust, and it fails in exactly the same way pasta cacio e pepe fails: pecorino hits direct heat, breaks, and turns into a greasy string with a puddle of fat under it. The fix is that the cheese sauce is made off the heat and goes onto the pizza after the bake, on a base that has been par-baked plain. The pepper is toasted whole and cracked, and there is more of it than feels reasonable.

The build

1. Toast whole black peppercorns in a dry pan until they smell of pepper, then crack them coarsely.
2. Bake the base plain with olive oil and half the pepper, until it is cooked and just coloured.
3. Off the heat, whisk grated pecorino with a little warm water and the rest of the pepper into a thick, glossy cream. Too hot and it splits, so keep the water below a simmer.
4. Spread the emulsion over the hot base as soon as it comes out.

The bake

On top

Sauce

None in the oven. A pecorino emulsion after.

Cheese

Pecorino romano, grated fine, and nothing else. Parmigiano is a different, milder pizza.

You got it right when A glossy sauce that clings rather than runs, and pepper you can see from across the room.