Grilled dessert pizza recipe: Very berry & pineapple

Very Berry & Pineapple Dessert Pizza

VERY BERRY DESSERT PIZZA  is an awesome treat after Grilled Pepperoni Pizza. Raspberries, blueberries & pineapple all nestled in a sweet cheese topping on top of cinnamon dough. Perfect for a summer meal!

What is a Dessert Pizza?

Pizza doesn't have to have Pepperoni on it to be pizza! A dessert pizza is, well, pizza for dessert! Usually, it's dough that's sweetened with sugar, brown sugar or honey. The toppings are generally made with fresh or canned fruit, and drizzled or sprinkled with chocolate ganache, caramel, marshmallow topping, maple syrup, chopped nuts, coconut, chocolate chips or whatever else you can dream up that's sweet! While some dessert pizzas are grilled on both sides before applying toppings and served cold, others are grilled on one side, topped, then finished on the grill to melt the chocolate or other gooey toppings and served warm.

Very Berry Dessert Pizza Recipe

• 1 1/4 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• Pinch of ground cinnamon
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1 - 16 ounce ball of good pizza dough, white or wheat (see Homemade Pizza Dough recipe)
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 Tablespoons cornmeal
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 cups total assorted fruit - Raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, etc
• Sprinkle of Kosher salt, optional

How To Make Very Berry Dessert Pizza

• Mix together ricotta cheese, 2 Tablespoons of sugar, a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Mix 2 Tablespoons of sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon in a cup and knead it into one pound of pizza dough. Let the dough sit while you're preparing the rest of the ingredients.
• I used blueberries, raspberries and pineapple on my pizza. Again, this is where you get creative and use fruit that's in season, what catches your eye and makes your mouth water. I cut the pineapple in small chunks - about 1 cup - and let them drain on paper towels until the pizza was ready. The berries made about 1 1/2 cups, with a grand total of 2 1/2 cups fruit.
• Sprinkle a big piece of heavy duty aluminum foil with cornmeal. (See my previous article "How To Grill Pizza: Finishing The Pizza") Throw the dough down like you're mad, flatten it and rub about a Tablespoon of either vegetable on top of the dough, flattening or rolling it as you go. Sprinkle some more cornmeal over the top, flip it over and do the other side with oil. Flatten the dough out to make it fit a rectangular baking sheet. You can make it any shape you wish, but certainly never bigger than your grill area! Let it rest while you gather up all your utensils and toppings.
• If you're using a gas grill, light it and preheat on high for about 10-15 minutes. Likewise, if you're using a charcoal grill, get the coals white-hot. It needs to be REALLY HOT! Bring all your tools and ingredients to the grill, including long handled tongs and a cutting board. Seconds before grilling, turn the heat down to medium. Leaving the pizza on the foil, open the grill and in one swift motion, flip the whole thing onto the grates, foil and all, trying to keep it all in one piece. Then quickly peel off the foil, adjust the dough if you have to and close the top. Leave it in there for about 3 minutes. Use the tongs to move the dough around. Just be sure to leave it on the grill for at least 2 minutes before moving otherwise it will tear.
• When you're happy with the way it looks, flip the pizza over and do the other side. NOTE! THIS IS AN IMPORTANT POINT! This is one of the few pizzas that are grilled this way. Because the pizza is getting ricotta cheese and berries on the top, it won't be going back on the grill. It needs to be grilled on both sides before decorating. You can do a number of pizza crusts like this - cool them off and use them right away, or wrap and freeze them for future use.
• OK, now you're ready to finish the pizza! Spread the ricotta over the dough, arrange the fruit whichever way you wish. Make it patriotic, a smiley face, whatever your creative muse tells you to do. Sprinkle the top with a little cinnamon sugar and you're done!
• Serves 4 people depending on everyone's appetite.
 

You might also enjoy these:

• How To Make Grilled Pizza #1
• How To Make Homemade Pizza Dough #2
• How To Finish Grilling the Pizza #3
  
• Grilled Pepperoni Pizza Recipe
  
• Marinated Flank Steak with Maple Chipotle Sauce
• Chicken Caesar Grilled Pizza Recipe
• Pizza On The Grill Book Review
  
• Pizza On The Grill Master Grilling Instructions
  

More Grilled Pizza Recipes Coming Soon!

•    Funky Chunky, Caramely Monkey Dessert Pizza
  
•    Barbecued Chicken, Carmelized Onions & Basil Pizza
  
•   Sun-dried Tomato & Basil Pesto Asparagus & Artichoke Pizza