Grilled Pizza with Mission Hill Heirloom Tomato Jam and Mozzarella Fior di Latte

August 20, 2013 Published by Dina

I was up at the Mission Hill Winery store a while ago and bought one of their chef’s heirloom tomato jam in a jar. I finally got around to opening the jar and liked the sweet and tangy, honeyed flavour. I can think of a few ways to use it but today it is going to top a quick pizza I am making on the grill in my outdoor kitchen. I didn’t make the dough myself but rather purchased fresh pizza dough at the local Italian store Valoroso Foods (http://www.valorosofoods.com/) here in Kelowna. I prefer the fresh dough, not the one that is already rolled into a pizza round. I make my own dough most of the time but sometimes buy them at Italian stores and have seldom been disappointed. I often have a ball or two of dough in the fridge, waiting for an opportunity to show their stuff in my kitchen.

I kept this pizza simple: dough, brushed lightly with olive oil, spread with some of the heirloom tomato jam and topped with a few thin slices of Mozzarella Fiori di Latte, also from Valoroso. A purple basil from my rooftop garden finished the pizza and added a lovely flavour. The pizza is on the sweet side because of the tomato jam and I like it that way. It surprises your palate. I only made one small pizza but it was gone in no time before it even had a chance to cool.

I have a convenient method to grill a pizza in a grill pan on top of the stove but today I was going to grill it on the Luxor grill in my new outdoor kitchen. The trick to cooking pizza on the grill is to grill one side before adding the topping. You need to brush the grill with oil (careful, any drips will cause the grill to flare up) and then lay the pizza dough on the oiled grill. It takes about 2 minutes or so for the bottom  to get grill marks and for the top to bubble up. Now you take the pizza off the grill and lay it on a board, grill-marked side up. This is the side that you will place the topping on. Once the topping is on the pizza slide it back onto the hot grill, cover and cook until the pizza is done. It doesn’t take long so don’t go off to visit with your friends, Keep checking the pizza, it only takes  about 3 minutes to finish cooking.

It’s simple, really, give it a try.


 

Ingredients:


 

1 ball of pizza dough purchased from a good vendor or follow directions for making you own dough here.

Olive oil

Grilled pizza with heirloom tomato jam

I jar tomato jam (I used Mission Hill Winery Heirloom tomato Jam)

1/2 ball Mozzarella Fiori di Latte or another fresh mozzarella)

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

Purple or green basil leaves


 

Directions:


 

Heat up the grill to high.

Roll out the dough into one or two circles. I prefer two smaller pizzas over one large one.

Brush the dough with olive oil on both sides.

Brush the grill with olive oil, being careful as any drips will create a flare.

Place the dough on the grill (I put it on a pizza peel and invert it onto the grill).

Let cook until the underside begins to get grill marks and puffs up.

Slide a wide pizza peel or spatula under the dough, remove from the grill and place, grilled side up, on a cutting board.

Spoon some of the tomato jam over the pizza and lay slices of the mozzarella over the jam.

Scatter the cherry tomato halves over the pizza.

Return to the grill, filling side up, cover and cook a few minutes until cheese has melted and dough is golden and puffed,

Remove to a cutting board and chop a few basil leaves over the pizza.

Serve immediately.


Mozzarella Fiori di Latte
Grilled pizza with heirloom tomato jam
Grilled pizza with heirloom tomato jam

4 Comments

  • bellini says:

    Grilling pizza is almost as good as having a woodfire oven. You get that extra bit of crunch that only high temperatures can achieve.

    • Dina says:

      Hi Val, I agree, it get really hot in there, hotter than my oven. On the infra red side I even had some flames going:). There is a gorgeous pizza wood burning outdoor oven that I am eyeing. Remind me to show you a pic.
      ciao,
      Dina

  • Laura says:

    Perfect in it’s simplicity. Bellisima!

    I’d love to try grilling pizza on top of the stove. Is your method more or less the same as the method you described for cooking it on the grill?

    • Dina says:

      Hi Laura, yes, it is similar. I use a cast iron ridged grill pan, heat it up until very hot, “drop” the dough onto it and grill one side first, turn it onto the cutting board grill side up and place the topping on, then slide it back onto the grill pan and finish the cooking. It’s a little easier to do with a grill pan on top of the stove but that could be because I just started using the outdoor grill.
      Ciao,
      Dina