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Clean, oiled grate on lowest setting

Wood:

Direct heat, medium ash

12-by-12-inch bed, 3 inches deep

Clean, oiled grate set 4 inches above the fire

INGREDIENTS (MAKES 4 SERVINGS)

1 loaf Italian bread

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

4 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

½ teaspoon almond extract

¾ cup blueberries

5 eggs

1½ cups half-and-half or milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of kosher salt

Oil for coating grill grate

¼ cup Orange Honey-Butter Glaze (page 389)

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut off and discard a small diagonal slice from each end of the bread. Cut the bread on the diagonal into about eight 1½-inch-thick slices. Cut a slit through the top crust of each slice to form a deep pocket.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, 3 tablespoons of the confectioners’ sugar, and the almond extract. Stir in the blueberries and spoon the filling equally into the

bread pockets. Lay the stuffed slices of bread in a shallow 4-quart baking dish, such as a 15-by-10-inch dish.

3. Clean and dry the bowl, then use it to whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, vanilla extract, salt, and remaining 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar. Pour the mixture evenly over the bread. Carefully tilt the pan and swirl the egg mixture to completely coat the bread. Let sit for 30 minutes, or cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.

4. Heat the grill as directed.

5. Brush the grill grate and coat it with oil. Put the French toast on the grill and cook until nicely browned and crisp on the outside, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter and, using a pastry or basting brush, brush both sides with the Orange Honey-Butter Glaze.

Strawberry Pizza with Orange Mascarpone

Pizza is an incredibly versatile flatbread, as you’ll see in the next few recipes. And it’s fabulous when grilled. The basic procedure is a little different than that for cooking a pizza in the oven. You put a small round of dough directly on a hot grill grate until browned on the underside. Then flip the dough so that the grilled side is up, and add your toppings. Slide the topped pizza back on the grill, cover, and cook until the cheese melts and the bottom browns. Grilled pizza develops a crisp crust and a smoky nuance that’s even closer to charcoal-fired brick oven pizzas than today’s typical pie. And there’s no reason to stop at tomato sauce and cheese. These flatbreads can be topped with anything from fruit to vegetables to meat, as long as you don’t pile on too much. We love making grilled fruit pizzas in the summer. Spread some sweetened mascarpone on the crust, maybe a swath of jam or preserves, and add the fresh-cut fruit of your choice. Strawberries with orange-scented mascarpone is one of our favorite combinations.

TIMING

Prep: 20 minutes (plus 1 hour 20 minutes for dough)

Grill: 8 minutes

GRILL TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

• Wide, long-handled spatula

• Aluminum foil

TIPS

• If the strawberries are large, slice them ¼ to ½ inch thick.

• Any pizza dough can be grilled. The key is to use a well-oiled grill and to oil up the dough, too.

• For a lighter dough, punch it down after the first rising, then cover and let the dough rise until doubled in bulk again, about another hour.

• To save time, use prepared refrigerated pizza dough. If using the type sold in tubes near the tubes of biscuits, buy two 10-ounce tubes and cut each in half to make 4 rounds of dough.

• If your grill doesn’t have a lid, cover the pizza with a large disposable aluminum pan to trap the heat and melt the cheese.

* * *

THE GRILL

Gas:

Direct heat, medium-high (400° to 450°F)

Clean, oiled grate

Wood:

Direct heat, light ash

12-by-12-inch bed, 1 inch deep, with medium-high-and medium-low-heat areas

Clean, oiled grate set 2 inches above the fire

Charcoal:

Direct heat, light ash

12-by-12-inch charcoal bed (about 3 dozen coals) with medium-high- and medium-low-heat areas

Clean, oiled grate on lowest setting

INGREDIENTS (MAKES 4 SMALL PIZZAS—8 APPETIZER SERVINGS, 4 DESSERT SERVINGS)

1 pint small strawberries

2 tablespoons