Hot off the grill

I haven't gotten around to building my ultimate outdoor kitchen with its wood-burning oven, nor am I planning on heating my oven up to 500 degrees again until autumn, but I sure am making a lot of crisp, thin homemade pizzas this summer - on the grill.

I am in the habit of firing up a grill for almost every cooked meal we eat all summer - whether I'm home, camping out, or cooking on a deck at a beach-house rental. Not only are there no pots and pans to clean up, but also my kitchen and dining room remain comfortably cool.

Since every meal goes better with bread, we have tried out many flatbreads and pizzas cooked on various grills and outdoor fire pits.

Pizza dough is easily transformed over a flame into interesting appetizers and many main dishes, with the addition of a few simple toppings.

I prefer the wood-scented flavor of pizza cooked over the high heat of hardwood charcoal, but a good gas grill can also crisp and brown a thin-crust pizza nicely, and offers a home cook a bit more control over temperatures.

Grilling dough is almost as old as cooking with fire. In Argentina - where grilling on a backyard or restaurant perilla is taken very seriously - there is a long tradition of pizza a la perilla - grilled pizza.

On the East Coast, Al Forno in Providence, R.I., has long been credited with bringing grilled pizza to our nation's culinary awareness. Since the 1980s Al Forno has had lines out the door for its delightfully thin-crusted Pizza Margherita and other grilled pies, each barely topped with a mixture of cheeses and other simple ingredients.

Upscale pizza has become a hot commodity in the city, with several new pizza-centric restaurants, including Stella, Osteria, Zavino and Slice, all making fabulous pizzas with both classic and innovative toppings. We home cooks can take inspiration, and with a few simple recipes, enjoy the making and the eating in our backyards.

The trick to a great grilled pizza is controlling the heat. Unlike a pizza surrounded by hot air in an oven, where the toppings can cook with the raw dough, the technique to cooking great pizza on the grill involves three steps. First a thin sheet of dough cooks over hot coals until firmed up and well-browned. The par-cooked crust is then flipped onto a cool section of the grill or back onto the oiled pan and the cheeses are spread or sprinkled, and the toppings are distributed. The pizza is then returned to the grill - perhaps even covered - until the cheeses are well melted, the toppings are bubbling and warm but the bottom is well-browned, not scorched.

With a little planning this is easy to do. Only one section of the grill should be very hot while grill space alongside needs to be kept at a more moderate, less intense heat. With a gas grill, this means setting one half of the grill to high and the other to medium-low. With charcoal, one creates a thick bed of hot coals under only one side of the grill, and a thinner layer on the other. The grill should be 4 to 5 inches from the heat, and should be scrubbed well with a grill brush while preheating.

Great pizza dough can often be purchased from your favorite pizzeria, Italian bakery, or grocery. (Craig LaBan's three favorite prepared pizza doughs are from traditional Italian bakeries: Faragalli's, 13th and Reed Streets; Sarcone's, 734 S. Ninth Street; and New York Bakery, 2215 S. 11th Street.)

But pizza dough is also easily made, which allows you to customize the flour or add herbs, garlic, or cheese to the crust. Adding a small amount of fine white cornmeal and whole wheat flour to the dough makes for a more robust artisanal crust, something you are unlikely to find on the shelf.

And a good dough can also be used to make a range of flatbreads and focaccia to serve alongside grilled meats, sausages, vegetables, or dips.

Many of the toppings for grilled pizza are also easily made a day ahead, or even on the grill while the dough is rising.

Some examples include: brush a few fresh tomatoes with olive oil, char on the grill, then chop; slice a few fresh onions and peppers and grill until softened and brown; soften and sweeten thinly sliced fennel slowly over medium-low heat; split a few fresh figs and quick-grill over medium-high heat until puffy and caramelized; slice a few sausages and marinated chicken thighs and grill until cooked through and well browned but still moist.

If you cook extra vegetables or meats every time you grill you will always have fixings for a pizza project later in the week.

It works best to mix more than one cheese for each topping combination. Think about balancing melting qualities with flavor and sharpness. Cheeses that melt such as mozzarella, fontina, and manchego not only have great flavor, but they are also useful to help hold toppings to the crust. More assertive cheeses such as Parmesan, pecorino Romano, or feta may not melt, but add immeasurably to the overall taste and complexity of the finished pie. For a vegan alternative, spread an herbed puree of chickpeas or white beans as a base for pieces of grilled vegetables.

Get organized ahead of time. While the coals or grill are heating, set up an area on a small outside table with a bottle of olive oil for brushing or drizzling, a large cutting board and knife, a few metal bowls, large tongs, a sheet pan or two for toppings off the grill, and a dish towel or two to wipe your hands or hold hot pans.

With a little bit of practice, grilling pizzas can become part of your summer backyard repertoire as an especially easy dinner, with lots of variations, to feed friends and family without too much fuss.

Other Great Topping Combinations

Crisped pancetta or prosciutto with fontina and grilled figs

Shredded chicken, cheddar cheese, and black beans with grilled jalapeños and grilled onions

Grilled peach slices atop fresh ricotta cheese drizzled with honey and a pinch of fresh thyme

Small chunks of lamb sausage, small cubes of grilled eggplant, and red peppers with manchego cheese and some crumbled feta

Lots of chopped garlicky greens held on with shredded mozzarella and sprinkled with fresh Parmesan cheese