Have you ever tried grilling your pizzas? Now is the time to try it. Summer is upon us. You don’t want to heat up your oven. Keep all that heat outside. Peaches are just about in season in the Midwest. Fire up your grill and try this easy Peach and Brie Grilled Pizza next time you want a light and easy dinner.

Like a leveled-up app, like this pizza? You’ll love these Bite-Size Goat Cheese Balls.

Road Trip

Our family headed out of town for a float trip in Arkansas. You ever been to that part of the country? Bea-u-tiful! We would have loved to have a huge trout nosh, but the fishing gods were not with us over the weekend. The 4 that the guys caught were decadent, fresh, and delicious. I’ve never had trout that fresh. They made a nice appetizer before these pizzas came hot off the grill.

Does anyone else travel with their cooking equipment? Just me? My husband grumbles when he’s having to find space in our – loaded to the gills – vehicle. However, he is quite happy when he’s filling his belly with the good eats. Here is a pic of me and the equipment I brought for our weekend away. For the pizzas, if making your own crust, you will need a rolling pin. Also a pizza spatula is a handy tool for getting those hot babies off the grill, or oven (if not using a pan).

THE PIZZA

Pizza is a fun food! It’s usually enjoyed with friends and family, because it can feed a crowd. AND it’s customizable, which is a Godsend when you have picky eaters (can I get an Amen from the back?). I make a pizza dough, and divide it in fourths. If we have family or friends over, we’ll make 2 to 4 pizzas. If it’s just our family, I’ll freeze half the dough for a later time.

We always make a cheese pizza for the kiddos. For the adults, it’s always a different variety. This Peach and Brie Grilled Pizza is a new one in our repertoire. And let me tell you, it’s one we will come back to often. It’s sweet from the fig spread and peaches, savory from the brie cheese and arugula. It’s dinner and dessert wrapped up as one!

Pizza doesn’t have to be all fatty meats and mountains of cheese. You can make it healthier. Start with a healthier dough or crust, add some veggies, or in this case fruit, layer a little cheese, and you have yourself a healthier pizza!

Health Benefits

Peaches

Peaches have so many health benefits! According to an article by Alina Petre, MS, RD (NL) on Healthline.com peaches are packed with:

• Nutrients
• Antioxidants
• Vitamin
• Minerals

Peaches contain fiber, which contributes to smooth digestion and a lower risk of gut disorders.

Alina Petre, MS, RD (NL) – Healthline.com

Peaches help your gut, your skin, and your eyes. It’s not just carrots that help your peepers. According to WebMD, “An antioxidant called beta-carotene gives peaches their pretty golden-orange color. When you eat it, your body turns it into vitamin A, which is key for healthy vision”.

Brie

And now the best part… cheese. I love the cheese. All the cheese. Unfortunately, most cheese is high in fat, and in Brie’s case, higher in sodium too. Brie is so creamy and delicious. This is a treat recipe. Watch your fat and sodium consumption on the day you are making this recipe. Or pair a few small pieces with a large salad, so you don’t go back for seconds…because you will want to!

Brie is a high fat cheese that packs as much protein as a medium egg in just 1 ounce (28 grams). It also offers sizable amounts of vitamin B12 and riboflavin.

SaVanna Shoemaker, MS, RDN, LD at Healthline

According to Nicki Wolf at Livestrong.com, “One ounce of Brie cheese provides you with approximately 5 percent of the selenium and phosphorus your body needs every day. Selenium in your diet serves as an antioxidant, warding off damage from environmental and free radical attacks.” In moderation, enjoy tangy creamy brie. It provides protein, vitamins, and minerals. You don’t need to tell me twice.

The Pizza Dough

“Oh no, CARBS”! Don’t fear the carbs, embrace them! Your body needs carbs to keep going. There are plenty of healthy options for pizza dough or pre-made crusts. Let’s talk about a few:

• Veggie Based Crusts: Cauliflower crust recipes have been around for awhile. I have also seen recipes for broccoli, zucchini, sweet potato, chick pea crusts. Usually they contain the veg, an egg & cheese to bind it together and some spices. If using one of these crusts, you will need to keep it on a pizza stone meant for grills, or aluminum foil when grilling it. The veggies are too tender to withstand the grate gaps of the grill.
• Fat Head or Cloud Bread Crusts: These crusts are cheese based. They typically have cream cheese and mozzarella, along with an egg, almond flour, and spices. These are delicious, however, higher in fat. Be mindful of your portion sizes, and your fat intake throughout the day.
• Gluten Free Dough: There are some great gluten free pizza dough recipes out there. As well as, gluten free pizza dough mixes. For this Peach & Brie Pizza Recipe I used Domata Pizza Dough mix. This dough was so easy to use, came together great, AND held up on the grill. There is no yeast in this formula, so no waiting for the dough to rise, and no kneading. Make and go! It is higher in sodium, watch your salt intake.
• Almond Flour Tortillas: My sister-in-law uses these on the regular for her pizzas. She doubles them up for a sturdier crust.
• Pre-Made Pizza Crusts: There are so many options for healthy pre-made pizza crusts. Check out the freezer section at your local health market. The deli department also usually has an array of whole grain flat breads or pita bread that would work great too.
• Whole Wheat Dough: You can always swap out all or some of the white flour in a pizza dough recipe for whole wheat flour. This will give you more nutrients over the 100% white flour version. I like to use Bobby Flay’s pizza dough recipe. For the 4 cups of flour, I use 1-1/2 cups all purpose – 1-1/2 cups whole wheat – 1 cup almond flour. If making your own dough, allow time to rise, usually 1 hour and an additional 10 minutes to rest.

Making Your Own Dough

If you are venturing out on making your own dough, here are a few pointers when grilling:

• Grab your bestie and make it fun. It’s handy to have a friend help. Team work makes the dream work.

• Once your dough has risen and rested, roll it out, brush with olive oil (I use my hands to spread the oil around), prick with a fork all over (so your dough doesn’t bubble up).
• For regular dough: take your rolled, oiled, and pricked dough out to the grill. I use the back of my hand for this, so the dough doesn’t tear

• For gluten free dough: roll out and place on a piece of aluminum foil for dough delivery. Since there isn’t any gluten in the dough, it isn’t stretchy, and will break easy. Once at the grill, place the dough on the grill by invert the aluminum foil, and placing the dough on the grates (aluminum foil will now be on the top now). Peel off foil, and grill.

• Once your dough is grilled and slightly sturdy on one side, it’s ready for toppings. Flip it over, put your toppings on the side that was touching the grill grates. Doing so will get you a crispy crust.

The Secret’s in the Sauce

One of my go to favorite ingredients on a charcuterie board is Dalmatia Fig Spread. It is like a jam: fruity, thick, and sweet. Since it’s a fig spread it has the fig seeds that give it a little bit of a snappy texture. SO. GOOD. Dalmatia Fig Spread pairs incredibly well with brie. Dalmatia offers several spread options. I have only tried the original and the Orange Fig (also, so dang good). I’m sure another fig spread would work just fine, but this one is so tasty…FACTS!

It is thicker than a typical pizza sauce. Use the back of a spoon to spread a thin layer on the crust when making this peach and brie grilled pizza.

You can typically find this delicious condiment at Sprouts, Whole Foods, or sometimes your local grocer stocks it in their deli department with the specialty cheeses. Get it. And enjoy it in this recipe, and on your next charcuterie board, or just slathered on some soft, ripe cheese that is begging for a bit of sweetness.

Toppings

After a thin layer of the fig spread is on the pizza crust, time for the goods. Place thinner sliced peaches down first. Then, top with slices of brie.

Brie is a creamy, soft cheese. Keep it in the fridge until ready to cut. The best knife to use to cut this cheese is a cheese knife with the holes in the blade.

After the Grill Toppings

Balsamic Reduction

One will think this pizza is ready to eat, right when you take it of the grill….but wait. Not so fast! It needs two more toppings to make it sing. When your pizza hits the grill, start reducing balsamic vinegar on the stove top. Or if you have a fancier grill, with a side burner: make it there, fancy pants.

Invest in some good quality balsamic. The stuff you can drink right out of the bottle without your face contorting. There are several olive oil and vinegar shops out there now, or you can buy it online (like everything else). An 18 year aged balsamic is the bee’s knees.

Balsamic Reduction is So Easy

Just gently boil it until the half cup you start with reduced down to about a quarter of a cup. By doing this, all those flavors get more concentrated. Resulting in a syrupy sticky delicious sauce that pairs perfectly with all the things you have going on in that pizza. It should almost resemble the consistency of molasses.

Keep an eye on it, you don’t want to burn it. Or reduce it down too much that it is like tar. Ehhww. Done it. Don’t want to do it again. It’s not pleasant. Plus, good balsamic is not cheap! Here is a picture of balsamic that has just about crossed the threshold into over done. Sad face. Bring is to a gentle boil, and reduce to a simmer until balsamic is reduced by half. It will thicken more as it cools.

If you like this recipe, try Mediterranean Artichoke Chicken.

Health Benefits of Balsamic Vinegar

According to an article on Medical News Today, Jenna Fletcher states the following 10 Best Health Benefits of Balsamic Vinegar:

1. Improves skin health
2. Reduces blood sugar
3. Promotes healthy digestion
4. Lowers cholesterol
5. Aids in losing weight
6. Treats Wounds
7. Reduces hypertension
8. Reliefs congestion
9. Reduces acid reflux
10. Promotes blood circulation

So do a shot of balsamic every morning! Use it in homemade salad dressings, they are so easy to make. Check out this Easy Berry Avocado Almond Salad recipe of mine, using balsamic in the dressing. AND reduce it and put it on this pizza.

Arugula

Arugula is my favorite green. It’s wispy, tender, peppery, and goes with all my favorites. Why not add a little greens to your pizza? The pepperiness (I like making up words) balances out the sweetness from the peaches and fig spread, and rounds out the whole pizza.

AND since it’s green, and of the earth, there are -of course- health benefits for consuming such a tender green. According to an article written on OrganicFacts.Net by Meenakshi Nagdeve, arugula is a super green. “As compared to other leafy greens, arugula is low in oxalates, which are chemicals that inhibit the absorption of minerals into the body.”

Amongst minerals, it provides calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and sodium. It has high levels of vitamin C, and folic acid, fat-soluble vitamins A, E and K (but not D) and small amounts of other B vitamins.

Meenakshi Nagdeve on Organicfacts.net

So what does all that mean? By eating arugula, you not only have a delicious peppery green in your belly. You are also boosting your bone health, improving your immune system, increasing your metabolism, improving eye sight, and increases mineral absorption. Is Arugula the new Kale? It sure tastes better…I think so, anyway.

The Process

This peach and brie grilled pizza is super easy to throw together. Here’s what you do:

1. Fire up the grill
2. If using a dough, roll out, prick with a fork, and brush with olive oil. If using a pre-made crust, brush with olive oil.
3. Place dough or crust on grill for a few minutes
4. Dollop on the fig spread and spread edge to edge
5. Top with sliced peaches and sliced of brie
6. Grill it up
7. Take off grill and top with fresh arugula and a drizzle of balsamic reduction
8. Prepare yourself for deliciousness & enjoy

Special Equipment

A few pieces of equipment that will make this recipe easier: a rolling pin & a pizza spatula (see picture at top of article of me and my tools). You will only need the rolling pin is you are making your own dough. Chances are, if you are up for making your own dough, I would assume, you probably already have one. If you don’t, you could probably use a couple canned goods, but I would be way easier to invest in a rolling pin.

Use a baking sheet without a lip, if you don’t have a pizza spatula. Or you can use a grilling spatula to scoot the pizza off the grill and on to a wooden cutting board (don’t use a plastic one, it could melt, and that would be gross). You can find a pizza spatula for less than $30 at your local kitchen gadget or hardware store.

Music is a Must

At our house we always have music going. If I start cooking and it’s quiet, I feel off. I turn on some tunes and I am in the right frame of mind. Whenever I am thinking about peaches, and making this peach and brie grilled pizza, two songs come to mind. Peaches by Presidents of the United States of America, and Spanish Pipe Dream by the late John Prine. Give them a listen when you start this recipe for some fun little diddies.

Thanks so much for reading along! Please leave us comments below. Let us know how your peach and brie pizza turned out or what tunes you had playing while making your pie.

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