The Hazel Bloom

Ginger and Lemongrass Iced Green Tea

I'm on a couple of kicks lately. Well - come to think of it - several kicks. I'm just going to talk about two of 'em today.

Lately I'm a little obsessed with both iced green tea and fluffy beach reads. It is summer, after all. I've made raspberry lemon iced green tea (good), strawberry mint (also good), and blueberry (pretty color, but needs work). And the books, you ask? Well, I finally read The Help and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The Help was exquisite. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was so totally engrossing. Loved it. And after that, I read the fluffiest of the fluffy, a book called Sweet Life by Mia King. Apparently, Ms. King's books have recipes in the back. I had no idea until I flipped the last page and, voila! Recipes! And, double voila! A recipe for a Lemongrass, Ginger, and Mint Iced Green Tea! I love when kicks come together.

 
This is my favorite iced green tea variation so far. Which kind of makes me mad because this is the only one I didn't make up myself.

***

Okay you guys - this is completely unrelated, but I am sort of distracted here, and I just have to share. The thing is, I have been working my tail off on redesigning and replatforming this thing, this whole stinkin' thing, this blog. The bad news is, I swear I have lost days. Wasn't yesterday July 13? What happened?? But, in better news, I think it's going to be pretty cool. Really cool, actually. Stay tuned for the launch. It's going to be soon!

***

So anyway, how about some iced green tea? This stuff is terrific. The best. Absolutely perfect for summer. Ginger, lemongrass, green tea - so happy together. I'm also pretty sure it's kicky enough to power me through hours of web design, so that I can stop being distracted and get back to reading fluff already. Dare to dream.

Ginger and Lemongrass Iced Green Tea

Adapted from the Lemongrass, Mint, and Ginger Iced Tea recipe from Sweet Life by Mia King

Serves about 6

Ingredients

• 8 cups water
• 1 stalk lemongrass
• 1 piece of ginger, about the size of two thumbs (or one freakishly large thumb)
• 1/3 cup sugar (or 1/4 cup agave nectar, or sugar substitute to taste - just add to taste after it's chilled)
• 10 individual bags green tea or 3 heaping tablespoons loose green tea
• Mint for garnish

Directions

1. Cut lemongrass into two-inch pieces, and crush with the flat side of a knife, or just cut each piece lengthwise a few more times like I did.
   
   
    
2. Peel ginger and cut into thin slices.
3. In a large saucepan over high heat, bring the water, lemongrass, ginger, and sugar to a boil.
   
   
    
4. Remove saucepan from the heat, and add the green tea (if you're adding the loose tea, put it in something so you can get it out right after it's steeped, while leaving the ginger and lemongrass in). Steep for about a minute, or until it's the right color/flavor for your tastes.
   
   
    
5. Remove the tea bags/leaves, then let sit for about 30 minutes.
6. Pour the tea  through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher.
   
   
    
7. Refrigerate until cool - about a couple of hours.
8. Pour over ice. Top with a mint sprig. And enjoy!

Gooseberry-Blueberry Jam

 
I spotted them at the Snohomish Farmer's Market on Thursday. They were red, stripey, and intriguing.

 
"What are these?!" I asked.

"Gooseberries," he replied. "They're great - try one!"

I was too much of a weenie to try one then and there, but I was sold nonetheless. I bought a pint, along with blackcurrants (also new to me) and blueberries (how could I not?)

I'm not a total chicken - I tasted a few when I got home. Where I could screw up my face in pure torment in private, if necessary. Instead, of course, they were lovely. Unlike any other berry I've had, these red, ripe guys had a slightly sour skin that yielded to a wonderfully sweet interior somewhat like a plum in texture. They have itsy bitsy seeds inside - I was distracted by them at first, but before long I decided the seeds add to their charm.

A flat of raspberries was waiting for me, too - and so, clearly, the only respectable thing to do was to make jam. Lots and lots of jam.

I started with blackcurrant jam - wonderfully deep purple. Old-fashioned raspberry jam - always a winner. And gooseberry-blueberry jam. Home run.

Tart-sweet blueberries, as it turns out, are the perfect complement to gooseberries. Together, they make a sweet, flavorful and simply stunning magenta jam that'll knock your Crocs off. And because gooseberries are naturally high in pectin, you can leave your box of the stuff in the cupboard. It thickens up beautifully on its own.

Here's the recipe!

Gooseberry-Blueberry Jam

Makes about 2 1/2 cups of jam

Ingredients:

• 1 pint (2 cups) red gooseberries
• 1 pint (2 cups) blueberries
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)

Directions:

1. Pick through and rinse gooseberries and blueberries, removing stems and leaves and discarding any bad berries.
2. Add the lemon juice and water to a medium saucepan.
3. Over medium heat, slowly add the sugar to the lemon and water, whisking as you go, until the sugar-water mixture is smooth. If necessary, you can add a bit more water.
   
   
    
4. Heat on medium until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Just don't keep heating it, because you'll end up with caramel - in this case, not good! And yes, I've done it.
   
   
   
5. Add the gooseberries, and cook (keeping the heat at medium) for about 3 minutes.
   
   
    
6. Stir in the blueberries (and the nutmeg, if using).
   
   
     
7. Bring the mixture to a boil, and allow to boil for about 5 - 10 minutes until thickened.
   
   
    
   Tip: How do you tell it's the right consistency? Do the spoon text. Dip a cold metal spoon into the mixture, and pull it out sideways. If the mixture drips off in one stream, it's not ready. When the mixture drips off in two drips, it's close. Then the two drips begin to form a sheet, it's ready! Keep in mind it'll keep thickening up after it cools.
    
8. Allow to cool a bit, then pour into jars and process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes (thorough instructions here from the Virginia Cooperative Extension). Or if you want to eat it right away, it should keep in the fridge for about a month.
   
   
   
    
   

Perfect Panzanella

I'm not Italian. So, totally, not even close. Even if one of my ancestors contributed a teensy amount of Italy to my melting-pot blood, I'm thinking it turned out to be a recessive thing.

Which is kind of a bummer, really. I'm so white bread. I don't have the first clue how to say "mozzarella" or "biscotti" like Giada does. Eating that stuff, though, is a different story. I am pretty good at that.

Italian food. I don't think there's any cuisine I love more. Espresso, cheese, wine, pasta, pesto, olives, basil, tomatoes tomatoes everywhere. 

And Panzanella, also known as Italian bread salad. I'm sure my version - based on the Ina Garten version and the version I personally think is the most perfect salad ever - is Americanized to the nth degree. It's also insanely delicious.

The bread is more like big, beautiful croutons than limp mounds of soggy stuff (which, I admit, the first time I heard of bread salad, this is what I imagined). Olive-oil-toasted bread hunks along with rustic chops of green and red peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet onions, green olives, and basil plucked fresh from the garden, then tossed with a nice olive oil and balsamic dressing kissed with Dijon mustard. This stuff makes me want to write run-on sentences.

Here in Seattle, we're finally seeing a few tomatoes ripen. Why not find a use for that half loaf of stale bread you've got laying around, and a couple of those amazing tomatoes? Oh, and here's the audio file of how to pronounce "Panzanella" so you don't have to go around saying "Panzaneeya" or "Panz... [mumble, trailing off]." Not that I ever did such a thing.

Perfect Panzanella

Serves about 4

Adapted from Ina Garten's Panzanella recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 green pepper
• 1/2 red pepper
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 1/2 cucumber
• 1/2 medium sweet onion (red works too, if you like)
• 15 leaves of fresh basil
• 15 or so green olives, cut in half if they're big
• 3-4 cups bread cubes (from a one, two, or even three day old loaf of rustic, crusty bread. This is the perfect use for half that leftover baguette, I think.)
• 5-6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Vinaigrette dressing:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (I'm sure regular ol' balsamic would be equally tasty)
• 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon finely minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large saute pan. Medium heat.
   
   
    
2. Keeping the heat on medium, add the bread cubes and the salt, and toss.
   
   
    
3. Stir frequently, for about 10 minutes, until the cubes are nice and toasty and brown. Add more olive oil as you go - 1 tablespoon at a time - when the pan starts looking too dry. I usually end up using about 6 tablespoons of olive oil.
   
   
    
4. Remove bread cubes from heat.
5. Chop up the veggies, trying to keep the sizes as uniform as possible, as follows. Toss in the bowl as you go.
6. Cut the green and red peppers in half, and deseed. Chop into bite-size squares.
7. Peel the cucumber half. I like to leave a little peel on for color. And then slice the peeled half lengthwise into quarters, and chop into bite-size pieces.
8. Cut the tomatoes into wedges. Throw 'em in.
   
   
    
9. Cut the onion in half and slice one half thinly. Separate the rings into the salad bowl. This time I used a beautiful fresh Walla Walla onion from the farmer's market. Yum.
   
   
    
10. Layer the basil leaves on top of one another and cut them into wide shreds. Add to the bowl.
11. Cut the olives in half if they're on the big side. And throw those in, too.
    
    
     
12. Make the viniagrette: In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients.
    
    
     
13. Add the bread to all of those good-looking veggies, pour in the vinaigrette, and toss well.
    
    
     
14. Top with a sprinkling of more kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste.
15. Enjoy!
     

Pizza Bianca

I've been holding out on you guys. It's totally a big deal, too.

Okay, not really.

 
It's about pizza. The other day when I posted about Pizza on the Barbecue? I neglected to talk about my very, very, VERY favorite kind of grilled pizza. Pizza Bianca - a.k.a. White Pizza. So simple, and so much flavor.

We've got the delicious olive-oil-based homemade dough.

And then we have white onions. Sliced.

 
Shredded mozzarella.

 
Fresh rosemary. Chopped.

 
And finally, a light sprinkling of kosher salt. Yep, this happened. You just can't tell.

 
Grill to perfection.

Scarf it down.

Love life.

 
There. Now you know about my very favorite type of grilled pizza. I feel so much better.

Just follow the directions on my Pizza on the Barbecue story, and use the toppings described here. I cut about 2 - 3 slices of white onion, separate the rings, and spread them around. Then I sprinkle on about 1/2 to 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella. I finely dice about 10 rosemary leaves, and sprinkle them on next. And then a little salt.

Oh, and credit where credit is due: I learned how to grill pizzas, and I learned about Pizza Bianca directly from the wonderful Sunset magazine.

Bake it Pretty Grab Bag

If you've visited this blog before, you've probably seen that I'm a huge fan of Bake it Pretty. We're talking seriously cute cupcake liners, straws, vintage-y party supplies, bakery boxes, kitchen twine in terrific colors... heaven.

The first time I ordered from Bake it Pretty, I realllly wanted one of the grab bags. Grab bags are so hard to resist, aren't they? Must know what's inside! But resist I did. Sometimes I can be good. The second and third times I ordered, grab bags were sold out. The fourth? In stock! Sold!

I ripped open the box, pushed aside the green and white striped paper straws (cute) and carnival stripe baking cup assortment (awesome) and reached for the adorable lime-and-white gingham bag. And I ripped that sucker open.

An adorable heart cookie cutter. A pink cupcake ring. And with every Bake it Pretty order I've received, they've thrown in a few gift tags. Totally handy.

And cupcake picks! A half a dozen red-and-white-striped pennants, a lifesaver, and a yellow "rubber" ducky!

And cupcake liners. I think I like the purple with white polka dot liners better than any that I ordered.

Plus, little "I love chocolate" twisty ties!

 

So cute.

Good thing they're sold out of grab bags again, at least for the time being. Yes, I checked. I would have been receiving about five more next week.

Watermelon-Basil Sorbet with Fleur de Sel

How do you spell "refreshing?" ... Well, hmm. Wait a minute. This doesn't really work in print, does it? So much for the Rolaids/relief approach. Let me try again.

How about some Watermelon-Basil Sorbet, everyone?! It's refreshing. No really. Tongue tinglingly, brain freezingly, coolingly refreshing.

What I'm trying to say here is that the combo of icy watermelon and cooling basil is, in a word, sublime. Sprinkle with a pinch of Fleur de sel right before serving, and the flavors leap out even more, and possibly even do a bit of a happy dance on your tongue.

I admit, I'm probably the last person in the world to get the salt-with-watermelon thing. Seems like everyone had a dad or grandpa who used to salt big old wedges and go to town. It really kind of grossed me out. But recently, when I shrugged my "try anything once" shrug and sprinkled a hunk of watermelon with a little kosher salt? Yum! Now I'm a little obsessed with it. Sometimes greatness takes time, I guess.

So anyway, here's the recipe for this really wonderful sorbet. Try a refreshing bowlful soon. And stay cool.

Watermelon-Basil Sorbet with Fleur de Sel

Note: My apologies for lack of photos. It was part forgetfulness, part the fact that I was a scary whirlwind running around yesterday. Suffice it to say the idea of bringing in the garden hose and just spraying the kitchen down crossed my mind more than once.

Serves 5-6

Ingredients:

• Approx. 8 cups watermelon, cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, plus extra for garnish
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons vodka
• 1 1/2 cups simple syrup
• Fleur de sel (you can totally leave the salt off. But at least shrug and try a little once, I recommend it!)

Directions:

1. Prepare the simple syrup. Simple syrup is made of equal parts sugar and water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and then simmer until all the sugar is dissolved. It's great for drinks, and lasts for a long time in the fridge, so I always make extra. Allow to cool to room temperature before adding to the sorbet mixture.
2. In a food processor or blender, puree the watermelon.
3. Strain the watermelon through a sieve (to remove seeds and any remaining large chunks). You want 4 cups total strained watermelon puree for the sorbet.
4. Add about a cup of the watermelon puree back into the food processor.
5. Add the 1/2 cup basil, and puree until the basil chopped into little pieces.
6. Pour the watermelon-basil mixture back with the rest of the watermelon puree.
7. Stir in the lime juice and the vodka. If you're wondering about the inclusion of vodka, it's to help keep the sorbet from freezing to a rock-solid consistency.The sugar should help with this, too, though - so if you want to leave it out, I bet it'll be fine.
8. Stir in the cooled simple syrup.
9. Add the mixture to your ice cream/sorbet maker, and follow manufacturer instructions until frozen.
   
   I took this photo AFTER I had mostly cleaned up. See what I mean? You don't want to see the disaster that was my kitchen yesterday.
   
   
   
10. Serve immediately for a softer sorbet, or place in the freezer for a harder sorbet later on.
11. When it's time to serve, sprinkle individual servings with a good pinch of Fleur de sel and garnish with a sprig of basil.

This One's For the Dogs: Chickenpops

 

 
Baby, it's hot outside. Even here in Seattle, where we've been oh-so semi-patiently waiting for summer to finally get here, we're supposed to see temps in the 90's over the next couple of days. Woo hoo!

While we humans like to cool off with icy treats like sorbet, iced coffee, and oh, say, a glass or two of rummy lemonade, our canine friends wouldn't mind a cooling treat now and then, too. And after featuring many many chop-licking goodies that they were only able to admire from afar, I figured it was time to whip up something for them. Lord knows Angelyne and Lizzie think it was high time they get some love.

 
Poor deprived doggies.

Chickenpops are, paws down, the favorite summertime treat of my poochies. They're essentially a bland chicken broth with a few bits of chicken, frozen into big ice chunks. It takes my girls several minutes of pure concentration to get through one. You never know if a pooch is going to get overenthusiastic with all that yumminess, so please please always keep a close eye on your dog while he's enjoying his!

 

Here's the recipe! Oh, and my apologies for the photos on this one. I think there is no way to make boiling chicken look good.

Chickenpops

Makes about 20, depending on size

Ingredients

• 12 cups water
• 2 - 3 pieces of uncooked chicken - legs, thighs, breasts, whatever you want

Directions

1. Place the water and chicken into a large pot, and bring to a boil over high heat.
   
   
    
2. Lower temperature to medium and continue to simmer. 
3. Let simmer for 30 - 40 minutes, until the meat is cooked through (I judge by when it starts to fall off the bone, and there's no more pink).
   
   
    
4. Remove broth and chicken from heat.
5. Remove the chicken from the pot, and set aside to cool.
   
   
    
6. Allow the broth to cool to room temperature. You can speed up this process by adding a few ice cubes and/or setting the pan in ice water after you've let it cool for a bit (some pans can warp by cooling down too fast, so please keep your particular brand in mind).
   
   
    
7. Pour into Dixie cups, clean recycled soup cans, old yogurt containers, recycled plastic cups - whatever you have that will make a chickenpop big enough for your dog to enjoy. Note - when we use Dixie cups, we usually give the pop to the dogs cup and all. They just tear it off and spit it out and it's all good. When we use any other type of container, we pop the chickenpop out before serving. This year we're doing the latter and reusing the containers - trying to create less waste and all.
8. Pull pieces of chicken meat off of the cooked pieces and plop a few into each cup. Of course, leave the bones behind. Chicken bones bad!
   
   
    
9. Freeze completely. Then, just pull one out each time Fifi looks like she'd like a cool frosty treat! I usually let them sit out for a bit first (though that does prolong the dog's agony). One - they're easier to pop out of the container. Two - I have a fear of their tongue getting stuck to really really frozen ice, though I have no idea if that could actually happen.
10. Enjoy, doggies! It's finally your turn.

Blueberry Muffins

As I type, my guy is sulking. Just a tad - he's not much of a sulker, usually. But about 5 minutes ago, he dropped a well-buttered, fresh-out-of-the-oven blueberry muffin on the carpet. The top half, of course. Butter side down. Of course. The dogs, they were happy. My guy? Not so much.

Even though there are several more to choose from, he's taking a few moments to collect himself before he tries again. But try he will, because this is the best darn blueberry muffin recipe around. I can say that, because it's not mine - it's Martha Stewart's, natch.

 
Here's the recipe. And Happy Fourth of July!

Blueberry Muffins

From Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook

(Okay, I make one tweak to the recipe - I sprinkle the muffins with Demerara sugar before baking. But otherwise it's all Martha.)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups blueberries
• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter (room temp)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk
• Demerara sugar for sprinkling (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan with butter, or use cupcake liners.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
   
   
    
4. Wash and pick through the blueberries, tossing any that are mushy and removing stems.
   
   
    
5. Take a couple tablespoons of the flour mixture and toss with the blueberries. Set aside.
   
   
    
6. With a stand or hand mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy - about three minutes.
   
   
    
7. Add the eggs one at a time, and mix well.
8. Add the vanilla.
9. Turn the mixer to low and mix in the flour, just until incorporated.
10. Add the milk, just until combined.
11. Fold in the blueberries with a wooden spoon or spatula. The batter will be fairly thick.
12. Divide the mixture between the 12 muffin cups. I find that's usually about 1/3 cup each.
13. If using, sprinkle with the demerara sugar.
    
    
     
14. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
    
    
    
    
     
15. Let cool for about 10 minutes, and enjoy. But try not to drop any.

 

Chocolate Chocolate Ice Cream

July is National Ice Cream Month.

Don't get me wrong - celebrating ice cream is an idea I can get behind - but I have to wonder, who comes up with these things? It's the special days that really get me. For instance, today is I Forgot Day. How do you celebrate this (other than with my general absentmindedness that needs no special day)?

"Hey! Frank! Happy... oh crap. I have no idea what I was going to say."

We have holidays to look forward to pretty much every day this summer. You can view the whole schedule here. Want some highlights?

• Tomorrow, July 3 - Compliment Your Mirror Day
• July 10 - Don't Step on a Bee Day
• July 27 - Barbie in a Blender Day (really?!). It's also Take Your Houseplants on a Walk Day and Walk On Stilts Day. Big day!
• August 6 - National Fresh Breath (Halitosis) Day
• August 8 - Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night (I love this one)
• August 10 - National Duran Duran Appreciation Day (nice!)
• September 9 - Wonderful Weirdos Day
• September 19 - Talk Like a Pirate Day (okay, fine, I also love this one)

Back to... what was it again?

Ice cream! Right!

Adapted from Cooking Light magazine's Double Chocolate Ice Cream recipe, this one is chocolatey - an extremely rich ice cream that hits you upside the head. In a good way. The secret addition of a little coffee helps highlight the chocolate flavors even more.

This may just be the perfect dessert for your Fourth of July Celebration, or anytime during Ice Cream Month. Or for National Duran Duran Appreciation Day, even. 

Here's the recipe!

Chocolate Chocolate Ice Cream

Adapted from Cooking Light

Serves about 6

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup 2% milk
• 1 1/2 cup half and half
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (I like 70% or so)
• 3 tablespoons strong coffee
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, mix together the cocoa and sugar.
   
   
    
2. Over medium-low heat, stir in 1/2 cup of the milk along with the egg yolks, and mix well. 
3. Add the remaining 1 cup of milk, and 1 cup of the half and half (save 1/2 cup of the half and half for later).
4. Stir constantly over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens and registers 160 degrees on a thermometer. This takes me about 15 minutes.
   
   
    
5. Remove from heat.
6. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the half and half to boiling.
7. Remove the bowl from the microwave and add the chopped chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.
   
   
   
   Chocolate is so messy, but so worth it.
    
8. Add the melted chocolate mixture to the pan, along with the coffee and vanilla. Stir well.
9. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
10. Add to ice cream maker (I use my beloved Cuisinart) and freeze according to manufacturer instructions. Serve soft, or place it in the freezer for at least 3 hours for harder ice cream. Garnish with a little chopped chocolate if you really want to send it over the top.

Pizza on the Barbecue

Last summer, I settled in with my new (and always beloved) Sunset magazine and flipped open to a piece about grilling pizzas. "It's easy!" They said. "SWEET! I believe you and must try them!" I said. And so my guy and I made pizzas on the BBQ, and the rest was history. Well, if "history" means we've been making them ever since, and we've served them for family get-togethers and parties (they're perfect for entertaining), and everyone loves them, and they're so, so good.

The most important piece of the grilled pizza equation is the dough. The Sunset recipe has lots of olive oil, plus with the use of oiled parchment paper, they're a breeze to flip on to the grill (and nope, the dough doesn't fall through the grates). You cook one side for a few minutes, then flip it back on to a cookie sheet, add your toppings to the grilled side, then place it back on the barbecue to finish cooking.

And is it actually easy? Actually, yes. It's a little time-consuming, though. You're making your own dough and need to give it about 3 hours to rise. I also believe in making your own pizza sauce - it's just so much more flavorful. Though - I do often used canned tomatoes, except for when fresh ones are in season.

This time, we made margherita pizza, a classic with tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil. We also made a pepperoni pizza - my guy's perennial fave, and something he even gives a coveted grunt. "One grunt up! It's pizza and BBQing - two great things that I would never have thought would go together."


Ready to give it a try? Here's the recipe!

Pizza on the Barbecue

Slightly adapted from Sunset Magazine

Makes 6 pizzas

Ingredients:

Pizza Crust

• 1 1/2 cups warm water (100 - 110 degrees)
• 2 1/4 teaspoons (or one packet) active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus a little more for oiling the parchment paper and working with the dough
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 4 cups all-purpose flour

Toppings for Margherita Pizza

• One medium tomato per pizza, sliced
• Fresh water-packed mozzarella, drained and sliced
• Several basil leaves, cut into strips - and more for garnishing, if you like

Toppings for Pepperoni Pizza

• Pizza sauce (recipe below)
• Pepperoni slices
• Grated mozzarella cheese, or fresh water-packed mozzarella, drained and sliced

Directions:

Make the crust.

1. Stir together the yeast and water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
   
   
    
2. Let sit for 5 minutes, until the yeast dissolves.
3. Turn the mixer on low and add the olive oil, salt, and flour.
4. Once the ingredients are fairly well incorporated, turn the mixer on to medium to knead.
   
   
    
5. Knead (continue the mixer on medium) for 8 - 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. It should be very stretchy, and just kind of stretch and fall off of the hook.
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
6. Cover bowl with a towel and let rise until doubled in size, about 90 minutes. If you're making the pizza sauce, I suggest you start now - it needs to simmer for an hour and a half, itself.
   
   
    
7. Punch the dough down, and let rise again for 30-45 more minutes, until doubled again. (Whenever I read "punch the dough down" I take it kind of literally and really give the dough a good punch or two. That probably isn't a great idea, is it?)
   
   
    
8. Prepare six sheets of parchment paper. Lay the sheets on the counter or table, then drizzle each with a little olive oil.
   
   
    
9. After the dough is finished rising for the second time, remove it from the bowl and place it on a floured surface.
   
   
    
10. Cut the dough into six pieces.
    
    
     
    
    
    
11. With your hands, smear the oil on a piece of parchment paper, then grab a dough ball - you want spread the oil on the paper and handle the dough with well-oiled hands, so it all works out.
    
    
     
    
12. Now you're ready to shape the crust! You can place the dough on the parchment paper and just kind of spread it out into a circle with your fingers, or you can do like I do and shape it in the air first. I hold on to the edge and quickly rotate the dough so that it stretches and forms a nice flat shape, and then I place it on the parchment and stretch it out the rest of the way. I like to keep the dough about the size of a dinner plate. Much bigger and it can become difficult to handle on the grill. Note: If your dough shrinks and won't work with you, let it sit for about 5 minutes and try again.
    
    
     
13. Let the shaped crusts rise on their parchment paper for about 10 minutes, until they start getting puffy.
    
    
    
     
    
14. Now start grilling! With the grill on medium-high (about 350 degrees), flip a round onto the grill - dough side down, parchment side up. Peel off the paper.
    
    
     
15. Cook covered for 3 - 4 minutes, until it gets puffy on top and grill marks on the bottom. If the dough sprouts any big bubbles, go ahead and pop them if you can.
    
    
     
    
    
     
16. Transfer the crust to a cookie sheet or large platter, grilled side up.
    
    
     
17. The fun part - add the toppings! For the margherita pizza, add the tomatoes, then pile on the fresh mozzarella. Top with the basil. You can also start with a little pizza sauce if you want (I prefer without).
    
    
     
    For the pepperoni pizza, spread the sauce (I go a little light - it's very flavorful), add a layer of pepperoni and then top with grated mozzarella or the slices of fresh mozzarella.
    
    
     
18. Transfer the pizzas back on to the barbecue, and cook, covered, for 5 - 6 minutes until the cheese has melted and the bottom is crisp. You'll probably want to rotate the pizzas a couple of times to ensure even cooking.
    
    
     
     
    
    
    
19. That's it! Enjoy - trust me, it's amazing. 
    

Pizza Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon (one or two cloves) minced garlic
• 2 cans (15 ounces each) diced tomatoes, or 2 pounds diced fresh tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (reduce for less kick)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried)

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil on medium-low.
2. Add the garlic, and cook for about a minute. If you're using dried oregano, add that with the garlic. If you're using fresh, add it to the sauce later.
3. Increase the heat to medium, and add the tomatoes, sugar, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. 
4. Heat to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
5. Simmer uncovered for an hour and a half. Seems like a long time, but this allows the sauce to develop wonderful flavor and thicken nicely.
6. If using fresh oregano, stir that in after the hour and a half cooking time.