18 July 2013



It's time for this month's Improv Challenge!   The premise of the Improv Challenge is easy: each month there are two assigned ingredients.  The participants must make a recipe using both ingredients and blog about it.



This month's assigned ingredients were peaches and herbs.  I thought about it for a while, and then somehow decided I wanted to do a pizza.  I hadn't made pizza for a while, so I guess I thought it was time.  And I had been wanting to try making pizza on the grill for a long time, so I finally took a leap of faith and gave it a go.  The recipe I made is an adaptation of a Martha Stewart recipe.  She used prepared pizza crusts in her recipe, but I wanted to make it from scratch, so I used my go-to pizza dough recipe and then for the grilling method, I consulted my "barbecue bible" How to Grill by Steven Raichlen.  So three sources came together to create this masterpiece!  It's a grilled pizza with creamy Brie, bright sweet peaches, salty prosciutto, and fresh basil.

Grilled Peach Prosciutto Pizza

Ingredients:
Balsamic vinegar
4 peaches
1 lb. pizza dough
4 wedges spreadable Brie
4 oz. prosciutto, torn into large pieces
Fresh basil, torn

Directions:
Set up your grill so there is a hot side and a cool side.  Pour some balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until reduced by half.  Set aside.

Cut peaches into ½” slices.  Place peach slices on hot side of grill and flip them as soon as they develop grill marks.  As soon as they have grill marks on both sides, remove them from the grill and set aside.

Split your dough ball in half.  Place one half of the dough on an oiled baking sheet and gently stretch the dough to form a rough rectangle about 9x13”.  Gently lift the dough by one end and flop it on to the hot part of the grill.  Keep a close eye on it.  Once it’s firm enough to move, slide it the cooler part of the grill.  When the bottom is browned and blistered (3 to 5 minutes), turn it over and cook the other side.  

Once crust is cooked, spread half of the Brie over the top of it.  Top with half of the peaches and half the prosciutto.  Remove from the grill and sprinkle with the torn basil and drizzle with the balsamic reduction.

Repeat with the other half of the dough and topping ingredients.

Makes 2 pizzas, about 4 servings.


 Isn't it gorgeous?  Not only a super combination of flavors, but an amazing combination of colors too!


 This is the Brie that I used.  It's a lot like Laughing Cow.




 My mise en place while heating up the grill.  I ran out of time and didn't do the balsamic reduction; I just used it straight out of the bottle, but it was too thin.  Next time I will take the time to do the reduction.


 Dough getting all grilled and yummy.  Since this was my first time grilling pizza dough, it wasn't perfect.  There were some white places (as you can see above) and some black places (not shown).  But it really wasn't too bad for my first time.  You really need to keep an eye on it.  And I was kind of rushing because I had somewhere to be that night.  


 Isn't it pretty?  It really does give the pizza an incredible flavor that you don't get in the oven.  I can't wait to try it with all kinds of different toppings.


 I didn't leave the pizza on very long after I put the toppings on.  I pretty much put them on and then immediately took the pizza off the grill.  The Brie will melt right away since the dough is hot and the peaches already have grilled flavor to them, so it's not necessary to leave it on.  You don't want the basil to cook.


I was very pleased with the outcome.  A friend from church was mowing the grass outside our fence while I was making this, so my husband ran a piece out to him when he stopped for a break.  He loved it.

If you haven't tried grilling pizza yet, I encourage you to do so.  It was really fun.

Check out all of the other peaches and herb recipes below, and come back next month to see what I make with vanilla and chocolate!








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10 comments:

  1. AnneFromMySweetHeartJuly 18, 2013 at 11:41 AM

    Lesa....I LOVE this pizza! I have yet to grill pizza....but you are encouraging me here! Love all of the ingredients you've used, too. What a wonderful way to meet this months challenge!

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  2. What a terrific pizza! I adore every single ingredient. My hubby grills on charcoal and he tends to burn everything...not sure we're up to pizza, but it looks wonderful.

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  3. I'm always looking for a good pizza crust recipe so will def try yours!The toppings all look amazing too.

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  4. Now you have me wanting to grill a pizza! I haven't ever tried one before. Your combination is just beautiful.

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  5. MIND MELD! :) I wish i had thought to put prosciutto on my pizza.

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  6. Deanna Segrave-DalyJuly 18, 2013 at 7:14 PM

    I am seriously swooning! I adore grilled pizzas (not to mention melted brie, prosciutto, etc.) You hit this Improv out of the park!

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  7. I found this month's Improv to be a true challenge. I'd NEVER thought to combine peaches with any sort of herb. I love the peach, basil, and proscuitto pizza that you've come up with! Very creative!

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  8. Karen - Cinnamon FreudJuly 19, 2013 at 6:24 PM

    This pizza looks great! I have never tried grilling pizza but have always wanted to.

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  9. This,look delicious. We always grill our pizza but I have never added peaches, I need to give it a try.
    Mimi

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  10. Kate | Food BabblesJuly 20, 2013 at 8:43 PM

    Oh my goodness, this pizza looks soooo good! I love peaches and proscioutto together. Slap them on a pizza and I'm hooked. Yum!

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