A Grilled Pizza Party

A Grilled Pizza Party is the perfect way to get your friends, guests or kids involved in dinner! Prepare the pizza dough the day before or purchase prepared pizza dough from your local Pizzeria, Italian market or restaurant.

Have each guest stretch the dough, (Don’t worry about perfect round pizzas—these are supposed to be rustic!), throw the dough onto the grill, top it with cheese and toppings and grill away.

Ingredients:

For the pizza

6 ounces store bought or homemade Pizza Dough
1/2 cup virgin olive oil, for brushing and drizzling
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups shredded Fontina cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 containers cherry tomatoes, cut in half

For the pizza dough

In the Food processor

1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 cup warm water (105° to 115°F)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Pizza toppings

Grilled and raw vegetables, prosciutto strips, sausage, pepperoni, pesto, pineapple, basil leaves, fresh Mozzarella cheese, crumbled goat cheese, red pepper flakes, fresh basil leaves

Directions

To make the pizza dough

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
In the bowl of a food processor combine the flour and salt and pulse to combine.
Add the water/yeast mixture and pulse until the dough forms a ball and cleans the sides of the bowl, about 1 minute.
Coat the inside of a large bowl with a thin layer of olive oil and place the dough in the bowl.
With a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1⁄2 hours. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To make the grilled pizza

Fire up your outdoor grill or stove-top grill to medium-high.
In a mixing bowl combine the shredded mozzarella and FontIna.
Cut the pizza dough into 8 equal pieces and roll each ball of dough flat on a floured work surface.
By hand, stretch each ball of dough into a 5-inch round, as thin as possible.
Layer the floured pizza crusts on a cookie sheet, in between layers of parchment paper until ready to use.
Brush the top side of the dough rounds with olive oil.
When the fire is hot, drape the dough onto the grill.
Within a minute the dough will puff slightly, the underside will stiffen, and grill marks will appear. Using tongs, immediately flip the crust over, onto the coolest part of the grill.
Brush the grilled surface with olive oil. Scatter the garlic and cheeses over the dough and top with cherry tomato halves and your toppings of choice.
Using tongs, rotate the pizza frequently so that different sections receive high heat; check the underside often to see that it is not burning. The pizza is done when the top is bubbly and the cheese melted, about 6 minutes.
Serve at once, topped with the basil leaves.

Makes 8 Individual Pizzas.

Chef’s Tip: Fontina is one of my favorite flavorful melting cheeses! Try using it in your next lasagna, baked pasta dish or melted on a sandwich…Delicious!