Why go out for pizza when you can simply turn your backyard bbq grill into a wood burning oven to get the perfect pie? (By preheating and closing the lid, your barbecue can reach temperatures of 600 degrees.)
Invite friends or family over and let your guests personalize their own pizza with an array of gourmet toppings, from specialty mushrooms (oyster, chantrelle, or white or black truffles), to shrimp and lemon zest, sundried tomato, mild and spicy Italian sausage, Calabrese salami, and Prosciutto and arugula. Add a wide selection of cheeses, from buffalo mozzarella to Parmigiano-Reggiano and fresh herbs for flavor, like basil and oregano.
Appetizers can be simple, like bowls of Mediterranean olives, big chunks of Parmigiano-Reggiano and Sicilian Marcona almonds. Open up a few bottles of Barollo or Amarone and your work is done! Dessert is as simple as lemon gelato served in a martini glass, garnished with a sprig of mint for a chic and sweet ending.
For Creative Entertaining Tips:
Recipes by: Neil Noseworthy at TasteWorthy Cuisine
Pizza Dough
Makes 2 extra large pizzas thin crust, 2 large thick crust, 4 medium, 8 small round pizzas
Photo Credit: Mark Luciani
Ingredients
3 cups warm water
6.5 cups of unbleached White All Purpose or Whole Wheat Red Fife Flour
2 tbsp generous dry active yeast
½ cup of white sugar
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 tsp generous kosher salt or sea salt
Preparation
Add water and yeast first to activate yeast in warm water. Add remaining ingredients to kitchen aid mixer with dough hook. Mix well at ¾ speed till dough comes together. Should be soft. If it's a little sticky add extra flour. If mixture is dry add water 1 tbsp at a time. Once mixed, let dough rest in the bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Proof for 30 minutes. Knock down after 30 minutes by blending again for 30 seconds.
Flour a dry surface and remove dough from bowl with floured hands. Knead the dough ball for another 30 seconds to bring together. Divide the dough into smaller balls. Cut in half for party size 22". Cut in half again for medium 16" and in half again for small 12" pizza.
Roll dough to desired thickness and that will determine the size. Poke holes to allow air bubbles to escape. You can get a roller with spikes on it, which is called a docker to poke numerous holes easily all over the entire pizza. To pick up pizza roll onto a rolling pin to keep the shape. Then unroll the dough onto a pizza tray and is now read to be topped with desired sauces and ingredients.
To bake on the BBQ grill, the temperature needs to be over 400 degrees. Preheat the grill on high and keep the lid closed for at least 30 minutes. Test it first with some experimental pizzas to find the appropriate temperature, watch carefully so the bottom doesn't burn.
To bake in the over, set temperature to 425 degrees and bake for 15 minutes.
For more design and decor tips:
Make Your Own Pizza Party
>