Thursday, July 23, 2009

Pizza on the Grill--Fresh or Frozen


First of all, I'm terribly sorry, but this is one of the few recipes of mine that requires two cards. Just glue them back to back and pretend it's only one, okay?



Before I start talking about this recipe though, I'm going to show you the fast, easy way to do pizza on the grill.



It's this. Frozen pizza. Did you know that you can cook frozen pizza on the grill? Yep, you can. And if you're anything like me, you try to do all your cooking on the grill during the summer.

Unless you live in Texas. Maybe then you don't want to be outside. Heck, you could probably cook outside in Texas without a grill. Toss your food on some concrete and cook it right up. Yum.

Anyway, here's my Wolfgang Puck frozen pizza. The only trick, really, to cooking pizza on the grill is to cook it on low and keep the lid on. And if you have a higher shelf on your grill, even better.

And if you don't have a gas grill and you're using charcoal, may the force be with you because you have no control.

Almost ready.

I can't wait.

I overcooked this one a tinsy little bit, but then I like my crust crispy.

Now that I've shown you the easy way to do pizza on the grill, I'm going to show you my all-time favorite recipe for pizza on the grill. It's a recipe that I got from Bon Appetit many, many years ago, and it is by far our favorite summer dinner.

I posted the recipe last summer, but I'm posting it again and I've updated it a little. But, I mostly want to give you some tips for doing the crust, so that's really why I'm reposting it. 

Before rolling out the crusts, get a cookie sheet ready with a layer of wax paper covered with flour. I do this so Peanut Head doesn't freak out about the crusts sticking together when he's trying to get them on the grill.

He's easily discombobulated.

Now, I use this fancy little Pampered Chef Baker's Roller and Pastry Mat. It just makes clean-up a little easier, and I like to use the measuring lines as encouragement for a more round shape. I've never actually made a perfectly round pizza crust, but it's a goal and someday I will have a round crust.

Or not.

Here's my dough, infused with fresh Rosemary sprigs from Peanut Head's herb garden. Love that man. Anyway, as you can see, I punched the dough down so that's why it looks so deflated. 

Then I fluffed it up a bit by kneading it with a little flour. Next I formed it into a circle-like shape and cut it into eight wedges. Each of these wedges will be a pizza round.

See what I mean about the wanna be perfect circle?

Now remember, I'm trying to keep Peanut Head from having an embolism, so between every two crusts, I put another sheet of wax paper with a generous amount of flour.

When all your dough is rolled out, place two to four dough rounds on the grill at a time, depending on how big your grill is. To start, cook them on medium heat for about three minutes, until the top of the dough puffs and the underside is crisp and golden brown. Then, and pay attention here, grill the other side for only 30 seconds to one minute, just until it's no longer soft. This side will be going back on the grill once you put the toppings on, so you don't want to overdo it.

See, golden brown. As you take the crusts off the grill, put them on the baking sheet with the well-grilled side up. When you start putting the toppings on, they'll go on the well-grilled side.

Now, from this point on, you can really put anything you want on your pizza, but I highly recommend you give my suggested toppings a try, and especially the vinaigrette. I know, I know, it sounds weird, but trust me, it is so delicious that your eyes will roll back in your head and angels will sing when you take the first bite. I promise.

Here's my pizza on the grill. You let everyone build their own because some people are dang picky. Dang picky. But the basic idea with this recipe is to start with mozzarella because it's the glue that's going to hold your toppings on.

There is no tomato sauce on this pizza. That's for sissies. This pizza deserves something better, and that's where the vinaigrette comes in, but not until the end.

After the mozzarella you can put whatever else you want on, but I implore you, finish the pizza off with goat cheese and then the vinaigrette. Don't be hatin' the goat cheese. It's a tad bit salty, and some of y'all picky eaters out there like to give it the hairy eyeball, but I'm telling you, it gets all melty and there is nothing like it on the planet. Trust me.

I know I keep saying trust me and you might think that sounds a little suspicious, but would I lead you astray when it comes to food? Would I? No, I would not.

Now, don't be shy about using the vinaigrette either. Once you get all the toppings on, pretend your pizza is on fire and you have to douse it with the vinaigrette. Trust me.

Now turn the grill down to low and put the pizza back on and close the lid. Let the dough cook through and the cheese get all melty. It'll take around 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the temperature your toppings start out at. Don't be afraid to take a peek now and then.

Ta-Da! And something else, you don't need to serve anything else with this pizza because it is very filling. You'll even have to undo the top button on your shorts. Trust me.

25 comments:

  1. yummmmmmmmm.....and yes, you could be cooking that on my back patio...right on the sidewalk!!! :0

    Suzanne

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  2. Mmmm. It'ss 10:30 at night and I'm not even hungry. But I want that pizza now. Thanks for the recipe.

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  3. I have to tell you when I made this last week it was a HUGE hit!!! Everyone was looking at me funny as I pointed out the toppings and the vinaigrette (and the goat cheese too! GOSH! Some people's family!). But they all trusted me and raved about how delicious it was. My brother complained about no pizza sauce but hey, we don't listen to him anyway so who cares?! So thanks for another super fabulous recipe! What would my stomach do without you? :)

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  4. Yep, I bet that would cook on the hood of my car :) Looks yummy though!

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  5. Mmmmm.... that looks good!

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  6. I think I have a crush on your food. :-P

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  7. Now *THAT'S* a pizza! Oh my heavenly goodness. I am not a pizza sauce lover at all, so I am all over this pizza. I wonder if the hubs wants to try grilling pizza this weekend? hmmmm :)

    See, I can attempt a Jill recipe. Well, sorta. There is no way I am making my own crust, that is some level of family love you have going on there ... making your own crust!

    Cheers,

    Kiy

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  8. Rats, forgot the P.S.

    Loved Lever's comment as I too have a crush on your food. I think we should (secretly) all select a day and show up on your doorstep to have you feed us. I suggest we start the morning with your sinful cinnamon rolls and just eat our way through the day! :)

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  9. Alright, I am so going to try this, and if it tastes as good as it looks (and as good as you say it does), we will be entertaining with this all summer long!

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  10. Yummy. And I do try to cook all I can on the grill becuase cooking inside make the house so hot. Thanks for the info.

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  11. looks good! and yes, I am in Texas, and you could cook it on the ground! LOL

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  12. surely you don't mind coming all the way to canada to do a little cooking for me too, in addition to organizing my house and whipping up a few crafty ideas too?

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  13. mmm i love love love pizza on the grill...i make it every week. I make my own dough, and parbake it in the oven for 7 minutes. This way its firm and wont stick on the grill...I try different toppings....buffalo chicken with blue cheese, bbq chicken with cheddar, onion and garlic etc. it ALWAYS tastes good on the grill no matter what!

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  14. Mmmm, I LOVE pizza, that looks soooo good!!

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  15. got your note..yes theyre great on laminate floors (make sure laminate is sealed)..yes cats can get asthma...thank God i work for a vet...i have had cats with everything from Immune deficiency disorder, to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy....and dont get me started on their MENTAL quirks lol!

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  16. wow that looks so yummy! I go to the Wegmans store here and buy the pizza dough already made and I have also heard Bertucci's makes good ones too!

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  17. I am quite excited to test this recipe out!!
    Dare I admit I have never touched my husbands grill... I'm a tad bit intimidated as well as thinking: if I never learn how to use it, that is one dinner he will always have to cook!!!

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  18. That homemade pizza looks delicious!!!! We have never tried a pizza on the grill....hmmmmm something new. We use our grill a LOT through the summer too. Food just seems to taste better when it is cooked on the grill!

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  19. Okay. That's it. I'm totally bookmarking you.

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  20. Jill Jill Bo Bill! How on earth did I miss this?! This looks absolutely delicious! I love pizza! I'm really glad that you showed both ways, for the quick and easy in me (aka lazy butt), and thank you for posting it again cause I wasn't around last year and I wouldn't want to miss this, how could I go on? Hey, thanks for the mention too! Your awesome, wait... come here... is that a halo over your head? :)

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  21. Just found this post in looking for directions to cook a frozen pizza on the grill. I'm not in Texas, but Oklahoma can be just as bad in summer and yes, I will do nearly anything to avoid turning it on! thanks for the tips! I put heavy duty foil under my pie b/c the grill grates are in serious need of my attention. Although it looks a bit scorchy on the bottom, it otherwise looks lovely. Thanks for the advice! I will try your homemade pie next!

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  22. Hello, Looks good! Going to try it. I do beg to differ about charcoal and heat control. I can control my charcoal grill better than any gas grill.

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