Grilled Caprese Pizza

I love anything caprese - salads, sandwiches, grilled skewers - you name it, I'll eat it.  I also love pizza, and the classic margherita pizza is hard to beat.  And to be honest, aren't the ingredients of caprese and margherita pretty much the same, tomato, basil and mozzarella - add in some garlic, olive oil and balsamic and you have one tasty combination. 

In the summer, I grill everything.  So of course I wanted to get in on the grilled pizza wave going around the food world.  I tried out several ways of grilling the dough so it didn't stick or burn, but still had the crunchiness of the crust, without over cooking the toppings.  I hope you enjoy the result.

Tomato Basil Base

1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp kosher salt

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 large basil leaves

Pizza
1/4 uncooked grits

1 ball pizza dough, room temp

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large garlic clove, minced

8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4 in slices

10 fresh basil leaves

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make base: Mix together all ingredients, except basil in a medium glass bowl.  If serving withing 1-2 hours, let stand at room temperature so the tomatoes release their juices, or refrigerate, covered, up to 24 hours.

Mix and drain the excess juice from the tomatoes.  If refrigerated, bring to room temperature. Just before using, chop basil and stir into mixture.

To grill dough: Preheat the grill. If using gas - set all burners to high, after 10 minutes, reduce all burners to medium.  If using charcoal - light 50-60 lump charcoal pieces in a chimney starter.  Once charcoal is ash gray, move them to one side of grill.

Roll out and shape dough by sprinkling work surface with grits.  Place the dough in the middle of the surface.  Stretch the dough out with your hands into a 12" by 6" organically shaped dough about 1/8 to 1/4 in thick.  Brush both sides of dough generously with oil.

Pick up dough by two corners closest to you. Lay it down flat on the side of the grill without heat if using charcoal, or in middle of grill if using gas. Close the grill lid for 3 minutes, then rotate the dough 180 degrees and continue grilling until bottom is well marked and evenly browned, about 2-3 minutes.

Use tongs to transfer crust from the grill to a peel or rimless baking sheet.  Close the lid of the grill.  Flip the crust to reveal the grilled side.

To assemble pizza: Spread the entire dough surface with tomato basil base.  Sprinkle with the garlic and top with mozzarella.

Set the pizza back on the grate (same side as before) and grill with the lid on, 4-5 minutes.  Rotate the pizza 180 degrees and continue to grill until the bottom is well browned and cheese is melted (another 4-5 mins).

Remove from grill, garnish with basil and season with salt and pepper