Grilled Pizza, First

Dear friends are moving away.  We are all very sad (for ourselves-but not for them.  It is a fabulous opportunity for their family...but parting really pricks quite a bit.) but they are very wise with their resources and very generous with their things...deciding some things were not worth moving.  Since we are having a large family get-together this summer we needed more grilling space and E and S gave us their large and wonderful grill.

Today I used it for the first time since it arrived at our house last month.  The directions for use were clearly stated on the front and seemed simple enough so I gave it a try, and whammo!!  First thing, the grill started right up.

J and A have made grilled pizza for us several times so I thought I would give it a try.  I had started some artisan bread rising this morning before heading out to swim and do a couple of other errands and it was perfectly ready when I came home...so,  what could I do?

After lighting the grill I went into the house and rolled out a pizza crust and put it on a lipless pizza pan on which I had spread some cornmeal with the idea that would make sliding the pizza off the pan onto the grill easier.  I grated the cheese and got the sauce out of the refrigerator.

Next step was to go out and start the first side of the pizza cooking...the grill had heated up to 450 degrees F. so I thought it was just right.  Opening the cover, I slid the pizza onto the grill and closed the cover again.  I checked my iPod for the time and waited for two minutes while listening to Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver.  Lifting the cover after exactly two minutes I noted that the crust was nicely, and, in one spot,  a little more than nicely, grilled so I pulled it off the grill with tongs and a pancake turner back onto the pizza pan. Before leaving the porch I closed the cover on the grill to retain heat while topping the pizza.

In the house (the grill is on the porch...) I flipped the pizza over on the pizza pan so the grilled side was now on top and the uncooked part was on the newly cornmealed pan.  I spread a SMALL amount of pizza sauce on the pizza crust then topped with some grated cheddar, grated mozzarella and crumbled feta cheeses on top then returned to the porch.  The grill had gone back to 450 degrees F so I opened the cover and slid the pizza carefully back onto the grill and reclosed the cover.

After one minutes I looked but felt another minutes was needed.  After two minutes I opened the cover, decided the cheese was melted enough (and being somewhat gutless about leaving it longer to try to brown the cheese because I was a bit fearful the bottom would be MORE than browned), and pulled the pizza out onto the pan again and set it on the grill's side shelf so I could immediately shut down the grill.  I left the cover up for a few minutes to cool down a bit more rapidly, took the pizza into the house, cut it up, and offered it to Dear One.

He enjoyed a few pieces; I ate one piece (the quite grilled one!  but I like burned popcorn, too...), and Son ate a couple of pieces.  I call that a success.  Maybe not total success, but close enough.  I will make more grilled pizza.  Now on to grilled vegetables...I am hoping people will let me know which ones work best and how to do them.