A TALE OF TWO PIZZAS…

Sometimes things in the kitchen don’t work out how you planned.

This week my oven got an error code and would not let me bake indoors. I was planning to make something chocolate but I took the opportunity to make some dough and make pizza on the grill. I’ve played with this before and I recalled the results being crunchy and satisfying. Last time I used store bought dough, while this time I wanted to start from scratch.

I’ve heard good things about the dough recipe from Pizza Camp and found it in the What’s Criag LeBan Cooking column at the Inquirer.com. It requires about 24 hours to prepare so I started on Friday afternoon. The dough was ready to use on Saturday evening just in time for dinner. I turned on the grill and of course the gas had run out. The stove top was still in good working order so I turned to google for the answer. Luckily I was not the first who wanted or needed to make skillet pizza.

The process is straightforward. First you heat up a pan on medium heat and add about a tbsp of oil. After you add the dough and wait for it to get crisp it gets flipped and piled with toppings. Cover the pan with a lid to melt the cheese and the pizza is ready once the bottom is golden brown. This version is easy, fast and pretty great. Like a crunchy fluffier version of the pizza I was hoping for on the grill.

I saved the remaining dough to give the grill a second try. With a new propane tank and all the same fixings I was ready for my grilled pizza. The sequence is the same as the skillet version. Stretch and oil the dough and put it right on the grill. The toppings are added after the flip and the whole process only takes about 10 minutes!

I prefer the grilled pizza for its crunchier texture but the stovetop version was excellent and much less expensive than delivery. I also really enjoy the variety that is possible and during these times of sometimes scarce grocery items you can pretty much make any flavor combination your pizza loving heart desires. I used what was in the fridge; Tessemae’s BBQ sauce, vermont white cheddar cheese, scallions, garlic and parmigiano cheese.

At the begging of this food ramble I had mentioned that I wanted to make a chocolate dessert this week. During my research for grilled pizza I discovered it’s possible to bake on the grill in a dutch oven or cast iron. I’d love to say that delicious brownies were for dessert this evening, but unfortunately pizza is much more forgiving. I think all the sugar just didn’t stand a chance. I almost made a diamond!