A Pair of Peach Pizzas

Fresh peaches paired with brie and basil, or pepperoni and fresh mozzarella, for a savory summer pizza.

Luscious, ripe summer fruit . . . blah blah blah . . . nature's candy . . . blah blah blah . . . summer on a slice . . . yada, yada.

Look, I could attempt to wax eloquent about peaches, again, but I won't.  The point I'd like to make here is that your local fruit, in season wherever you live, tastes amazing.

Go eat some.

If you happen to live in a region where peaches grow, and you've already had at least a few fuzzy-lipped, chin-dribbled bites of juicy fresh local peaches this summer, consider this pizza.

Normally at this point I'd insert a rant about store-bought peaches, but not today, not this time.  The local grocery store I walk down to every 36 hours to buy a gallon of milk?  We had a tour of their produce section the other day, and as part of the tour my daughter got a local peach, a local pepper, a local early apple, a packet of local herbs, and an ear of local sweet corn.  A store that makes a point to source local (to them, that's within a 2 hr drive, with family-owned farms they've been doing business for generations) is a store worth patronizing in my book. Getting a 2 mile walk for me and the dog, freshly roasted Hatch chiles, and keeping the car in the driveway when we're out of milk are all excellent reasons too.  The peaches used in these pizza were not from that tour, though.

Yes, there are two different peach toppings in this photo.  They were both delicious and, like choosing between my kids, I couldn't pick just one.  I got the idea for the basil, brie, and peach pizza from this sandwich at Two Peas, and it got me singing Reunited (with Brie) And It Tastes So Good around the kitchen.  It looked way too tasty not to try it on a pizza, and I'm so glad I did.
The fresh mozzarella, peach, and pepperoni pizza was a bone thrown to my kids.  I'd used frozen peaches to make a Peach and Peppadew Pepper Pizza (which is still in the Recipes to Blog About, Though the Photos Predate My Food Photography Challenge list) and knew that a slice of sweet fruit coupled with a salty cured meat makes a terrific topping.

NOTE: This recipe is not gluten free as written, because I did not use gluten free pizza dough. To adapt this recipe for a gluten free diet please substitute the gluten free pizza dough of your choice, or make your own--here are some options:
http://glutenfreedoctor.com/gluten-free-flour-mix-white/
http://glutenfreedoctor.com/gluten-free-flour-mix-whole-grain/
Check labels to confirm that your other ingredients are also gluten free. Good sources for determining gluten free products can be found here:
http://knowgluten.me/2012/03/31/other-names-for-gluten/
http://glutenfreedoctor.com/gluten-free/
http://www.celiac.com/categories/Safe-Gluten%252dFree-Food-List-%7B47%7D-Unsafe-Foods-%26amp%3B-Ingredients/

A Pair of Peach Pizzas--#1 Peach, Brie, and Basil Pizza

1 pound of pizza dough, your choice, I have suggestions here in my Pizza Primer

olive oil, for brushing the crust

a small wheel of Brie (you won't use the whole thing, probably)

a peach, thinly sliced

a handful of basil leaves

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit, and preheat your pizza stone, too.  Don't have one?  Use a cookie sheet.  On an oiled piece of parchment stretch out the dough into a peach-like shape.  Brush the top lightly with olive oil. I was in the mood to not have the crust of Brie cheese because I just finished reading Michael Pollan's Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation (it may make you think twice on aged cheese.  Just sayin'). Suit yourself, but put slices of brie across the pizza dough.  It's going to run amuck in the oven, and that's OK.  Top with sliced peaches.  Bake for 5-8 minutes, realize that the Brie has run amuck and you cannot shimmy the dough off the parchment paper and just keep on baking until the cheese is bubbly, another 3-5 minutes.  Stack, roll, and slice the basil leaves while the pizza is baking.  Remove pizza to cool on a rack and top with sliced basil leaves.  Slice and serve.

A Pair of Peach Pizzas #2--Peach, Pepperoni, and Fresh Mozzarella Pizza

1 pound of pizza dough, your choice, I have suggestions here in my Pizza Primer

olive oil for brushing dough

1 peach, thinly sliced
1/2 cup sliced pepperoni
about 3-4 ounces sliced fresh mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit, if you use a pizza stone have it preheating as well, otherwise use a cookie sheet to bake.  On an oiled piece of parchment stretch out the dough into a peach-like shape, or go crazy and shape it like a nectarine.  Brush the top lightly with olive oil. Top with sliced peaches, sliced pepperoni, and sliced mozzarella.  Bake on the parchment for 5-8 minutes, then shimmy the dough off the parchment paper and just keep on baking directly on the stone or sheet until the cheese is browned and bubbly, another 3-5 minutes. Remove pizza to cool on a rack.  Slice and serve.

This post is shared at From the Farm Blog Hop, the Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Tasty Tuesdays, Wednesday Fresh Foods Link Up, What's Cookin' Wednesday, What's In The Box, Food on Friday

And, because I had good light, couldn't resist, and only shared 1 photo in my last post, one more for the road: