Get dressed to grill!  I love this time of year because it is time to dust off the cobwebs on the grill.  Grilling adds depth and flavor to foods but most people are only comfortable grilling meats and fish.  In my hands-on cooking classes and at our cooking parties, we like to get people out of their grilling comfort zone and show them other items are delicious when grilled.  Here are a few of my favorites:

• Grill fruit like peaches and plums for a salad or as an accompaniment to a polenta or pound cake that has been brushed with butter then grilled for a about 30 seconds a side
• Grilled romaine or radicchio for a salad then top the salad with thinly sliced grilled lemons and grilled Halloumi cheese
• Grill olive-oil-brushed bread for a crostini, for a bread salad or on skewers (along with lemons and Halloumi)  Check out our Grilled Chicken Skewers with Lemons and Salsa Verde Recipe.
• For a twist, grill oysters until they open then brush them with barbecue sauce or a dollop of lemon relish. Try our Barbecued Oysters On The Half Shell Recipe.

But my favorite grilled dish is pizza.  Recently, I had friends over for dinner and made a lamb pizza cooked on the grill.  Check out the photo of the pizza and recipe here.

Tips for Grilling Pizza:

There are a few ways to successfully grill a pizza.  The first is to put a pizza stone directly on the grill.  Close the grill lid and let the stone heat for 30-45 minutes.  Roll out pizza dough then transfer to a cornmeal-dusted pizza peel, transfer the pizza directly to the stone.   Immediately add the toppings close the grill and cook until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted.

The second method is cooking the pizza directly on the grill.  Heat your grill for 30 minutes.  Using a grilling or pastry brush, brush your dough with olive oil.  Transfer the pizza to the grill, oil side down.  Cook the pizza for about one or two minutes, until the pizza starts to develop a crust.  While waiting for it to cook, brush the side facing up with olive oil.  Once the side facing down has developed the crust, turn the pizza over and quickly add the topping.  Close the lid to the grill so that the toppings can melt.  Let the pizza finish cooking for about 3-4 minutes or until the bottom is well browned and the toppings are melted.

Serve hot off the grill!

Contributed by Bibby Gignilliat