From smoked beef brisket to delicious doughy pizza, Rosebud partner-chef John Delpha knows how to grill up the ultimate backyard cookout. And thankfully, the chef and winner of countless barbecue contest awards (more than 10 from the Jack Daniel’s International BBQ Championship) is willing to share his secrets with the rest of us this Fourth of July.
The chef, who recently released his cookbook, Grilled Pizza the Right Way, crafted a special Independence Day Pizza dessert in honor of the upcoming holiday weekend. “The idea originated from my mother-in-law who had a dream about pizza one night,” Delpha tells BostInno. “She came to me the next day and said ‘you gotta put an Independence Day pizza in the book.’”
And that’s exactly what Delpha did.
The Fourth of July-inspired dessert features grilled pizza dough topped with fresh strawberries marinated in Triple Sec and sugar, blueberry preserves and of course, whipped cream. The ingredients, he explains, are a representation of what the Fourth means to him.
“When I think of the Fourth of the July, I think of backyard BBQs, the American flag and an amazing strawberry shortcake,” Delpha adds. “The strawberries with the blueberry preserves and whipped cream create the perfect representation of an American flag, not to mention the flavors are incredible.”
We’ve got his recipe for the Independence Day Pizza, below. Try it for yourself this Fourth and be prepared to impress your guests with this flag-inspired crowd-pleasing dessert.
Independence Day Pizza
Ingredients:
12 medium strawberries, hulled and cut in half lengthwise
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon orange liqueur such as Triple Sec or Cointreau
Vegetable oil
5 ounces oiled Pizza Dough (recipe follows)
1/3 cup blueberry preserves
Good-quality canned whipped cream
Directions:
Place strawberries, sugar and orange liqueur in bowl and stir to incorporate. Let sit 30 minutes.
Preheat grill to high.
Lightly grease metal work surface (such as the back of a cookie sheet) and palms of your hands. Place dough ball in center of surface and press down evenly with your hand. Working with both hands, start in middle and spread dough out with palms while stretching the outer edges with your finger. You want a 12-by-8-inch rectangle.
Brush grill grate with oil. Place one dough round on grate on hotter side of grill and cook until lightly charred and no longer sticking, 2 to 3 minutes. Using tongs, turn dough over and move to indirect zone of grill.
When you turn over the pizza to indirect side of grill, spread blueberry preserves all over with the back of a spoon. Place strawberries all around the pizza in a checkerboard-type pattern. Move pizza to direct side of grill and rotate every 15 to 30 seconds until bottom is crispy. Remove pizza from grill and spray whipped cream in little dots all over the pizza (like stars), slice and serve.
Makes 1 pizza.
Pizza Dough Ingredients:
21/4 cups warm water
4 teaspoons yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup semolina
1 tablespoon salt
Directions:
Place water, yeast and sugar in bowl of stand mixer. Let sit for 5 minutes until yeast is activated (bubbly). Add oil, then dry ingredients. Place dough hook on mixer and turn to medium low. Mix for approximately 5 minutes until a smooth ball appears. Turn mixer to medium high and knead for approximately 2 minutes more until ball obtains a light shine. Dough can be put in bag and refrigerated for use within the next 3 days or frozen for up to a month.
Yields enough for 2 large pizzas.
