Rustic Grilled Fruit Tart

I purchased my first propane pizza oven about three years ago. To say that I quickly became obsessed would be an understatement. It took several experiments and far too many burnt pizzas before I finally got it right. During that time, I got a crash course in what not to do and how different doughs would cook in that environment. After mastering classic pizzas, I began experimenting with sweet combinations. The result was a quick and easy rustic fruit tart.

• 2 Peaches
• 1 Cup Cherries
• 2 Tsp Cinnamon
• 1 Tsp Nutmeg
• 2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
• 4 oz Mascarpone Cheese
• ½ Cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
• ½ Cup Flour
• 1 Packet Pizza Crust * just add water ( I use Kroger brand)
• Outdoor Pizza Oven ** I assume that this could also be done using a pizza stone and traditional oven, but I have never tried that

Helpful

• Pizza Peel – for outdoor ovens
• White Corn Meal – for prepping your pizza peel

The first thing that I learned when cooking in my pizza oven is that sugar content in your dough does matter. The higher the sugar content the more likely it is to burn the dough. I went through several crust options, Rollout Ready Made, Frozen, I even made my own, finally, I found a crust mix sold by Kroger that is “just add water”. It’s perfect and all my pizzas are spot on. It crisps up without burning and stays at a great consistency.

Mix the following:

• 1 Package of Kroger pizza dough, (or presumably any other “just add water” mix
• 2 Tsp Cinnamon
• 1 Tsp Nutmeg
• 2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

TIP:

Mix the dry ingredients together before adding your water and vanilla mixture. This helps to ensure a consistent mixture without overworking the dough.

• Begin by creating your “sauce” in this case it will be more like frosting consistency. Allow the mascarpone to become room temperature and add in ½ cup brown sugar. Blend the two ingredients together and set aside.
• Next, cut the fruit. Realistically you could use any number of fruits, I love the combination of peaches and cherries. I also love how they cook on an open flame. You will need to cut 2 peaches and approximately 1 cup of cherries. I sliced the cherries in half and remove the pits. Set those aside.
  

TIP:

This is not an overly sweet mixture. The mascarpone adds a velvety base that cuts down on the sweetness. You can add dry oats at this step if you would like a bit more crunch.

• Once your dough has risen, lightly flour a surface to press out your dough. I prefer to do this by hand and not use a rolling pin. There is just something that is so perfect about the imperfection of hand-pressed dough. It makes it feel more rustic and for some reason that makes me want it even more.
• After flouring your work surface, begin pressing out your dough into a circular shape. I press mine to a medium thickness. I typically like a thin crust but for this dessert, a bit more crust is needed to support the weight of the toppings.
• Move the dough to your pizza peel. Once on the peel, you can begin applying the toppings.
• Spread a layer of the mascarpone and brown sugar mixture onto the dough, be careful not to rip the dough.
• Next, arrange a layer of peaches and cherries, or your desired fruit, on the top. I like to sprinkle a little bit of granulated sugar on top before baking.

TIP:

I have ruined many pizzas because I could not get them off the peel and into the oven. If you are having the same issue, I have found that flour and white cornmeal dusted on the peel before setting your dough on it will help tremendously.

• Preheat the pizza oven to 425 and bake for about 15 mins. You will see your crust brown up.
• Allow the pizza to rest before cutting and serving. This will allow the mascarpone a chance to set back up.

I enjoy this dessert paired with a full-bodied red wine.