Grilled Pizza with Smoked Salmon, Red Onion, and Chive Crème Fraîche

Suggested wine: French chardonnay; dolcetto; Valpolicella

I’ve taught a lot of grill classes around the country, and students are always amazed when I grill a pizza. Though this recipe looks long and, perhaps, intimidating, it’s not—and it’s easy and incredibly fun to make. The two salmon pizzas I have included in my book will leave your family and guests begging for more. This recipe for pizza dough is my all-time favorite, and I’ve tried many; it’s adapted from Alice Waters’s cookbook Chez Panisse Pasta, Pizza & Calzone. Often, I’ll double the dough recipe to make one pizza and freeze the other portion of dough just to have on hand for entertaining. I love working with dough and find it very relaxing. If, however, you’re not into making pizza dough, then buy it! There are many good-quality brands on the market, sold either fresh or frozen.

SERVES 6 TO 8

• 1 pound Pizza Dough (recipe follows), at room temperature
• ¼ cup snipped fresh chives
• ½ cup crème fraîche
• ½ large red onion, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 4 ounces smoked salmon (lox), sliced paper-thin
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• Flour and cornmeal for dusting
• Vegetable oil for brushing grill

Have the pizza dough covered and ready to roll out. In a small bowl, combine the chives and crème fraîche. Set aside. In a medium bowl, mix the red onion with the olive oil, salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Set aside. Remove the salmon from the refrigerator, separate the slices, and arrange on a plate ready for topping the pizza. Have the dill in a small bowl ready for garnishing.

Prepare a hot fire in a charcoal grill or preheat the center burner of a gas grill on high and the front and back or side burners to medium-low. Generously dust a pizza paddle or large rimless baking sheet with flour and then cornmeal. Have all the pizza toppings set out next to the grill before rolling out the dough.

Flatten the dough on a heavily floured work surface, sprinkling a couple of tablespoons of cornmeal over the flour. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a circle 12 to 13 inches in diameter. The dough should be about ¼ inch thick. If the dough shrinks back at the edges, gently stretch it by hand, being careful to keep the dough a uniform thickness. The dough does not need to be a perfect circle; in fact, an odd-shaped circle gives the pizza a lovely rustic look.

Using your hands and working quickly, lift and transfer the dough to the pizza paddle or baking sheet. Give the paddle a few shakes back and forth to make sure the dough isn’t sticking. Brush the grill rack generously with vegetable oil. Slide the dough from the paddle onto the center of the grill rack, using a quick jerking motion with your arm. If any part of the dough folds over on itself, use a pair of tongs to unfold it. Immediately cover the grill. Grill until a crust forms and light grill marks appear, 1 to 2 minutes. Using the pizza paddle, flip the pizza crust over. Spread the onion mixture evenly over the lightly charred crust. Using a spoon, drop dollops of the crème fraîche mixture over the onions. Cover the grill and bake the pizza until nicely browned and crisp on the bottom and at the edges, about 7 minutes. Check the pizza after about 3 minutes. If the pizza is browning too quickly, slide it over to the cooler part of the grill to finish baking. Arrange the slices of lox over the onion mixture and garnish with the dill. Cover the grill and bake 1 minute longer. Remove any excess flour and cornmeal from the pizza paddle or baking sheet, and use it to transfer the pizza to a cutting board. Slice the pizza into wedges and serve immediately.

PIZZA DOUGH

I have been using this recipe for years, whether I am baking or grilling a pizza. It is the best pizza dough I know. The dough is easy to work with, the texture and crispness of the crust are fabulous, and the subtle flavor that comes from the addition of rye flour makes the crust distinct and delicious. Look for rye flour in bulk at a natural foods store. Substitute whole-wheat flour, if need be.

• 1 package (2¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast
• ¾ cup lukewarm water
• ¼ cup rye flour
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for oiling the bowl
• ¾ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
• 1¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

BEGIN BY MAKING A SPONGE: In a medium bowl, dissolve the yeast in ¼ cup of the water. Add the rye flour and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for 20 to 30 minutes.

To make the dough, add the remaining ½ cup water, the milk, oil, salt, and 1¾ cups flour to the sponge. Using a wooden spoon, mix the dough, incorporating as much of the flour as possible. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured work surface and knead until soft and elastic, 10 to 12 minutes. It will still be a little sticky but shouldn’t stick to your hands. Add only a minimum amount of flour to the work surface to keep the dough from sticking.

Lightly oil a large bowl. Add the dough and turn to coat all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and then place a clean, damp linen towel over the top. Set the bowl in a warm spot (a pilot-heated oven is a good spot, or an electric oven turned to 150°F for 5 minutes and then turned off). Allow the dough to rise until doubled in volume, about 2 hours. Punch down the dough, cover it, and allow the dough to rise for another 40 minutes. The dough is now ready to be rolled out. (If you want to make the pizza dough ahead, after the first rising, the dough can be punched down and placed in a large lock-top plastic freezer bag. Refrigerate the dough for up to \2 hours. Bring the dough to room temperature before completing the final rise. Alternatively, freeze the dough for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then bring the dough to room temperature before completing the final rise.)

MAKES 1 POUND DOUGH, ENOUGH FOR ONE 12-INCH PIZZA