**HOLD FOR LIFESTYLES** This photo taken April 19, 2009 shows a crunchy grilled bread, thickly cut, which provides the base for the intensely flavored Grilled Boule Pizza with Tomato Pesto. (AP Photo/Larry Crowe)
This simple, intensely flavored dish is a cross between bruschetta and pizza. And for summer ease, it's all done on the grill.
The most time-consuming part of doing pizza at home is the dough. Even if you buy it already made, the dough still has to come up to room temperature before you can use it. The easier, faster and heartier approach is to use thick-cut slabs of bread.
The bread toasts nicely, giving a wonderful crunch to the pizza. But because it is cut so thick, the insides remain pleasantly chewy.
For a flavorful sauce, this recipe tops the bread with a blend of prepared pesto and tomato paste, but any sauce could be used. Also try prepared tapenade (a spread made from ground olives, herbs and oil).
Fresh mozzarella is wonderful because it has a light, creamy taste and melts so well. Any cheese can be substituted, though harder cheeses will take longer to melt. Add other toppings as desired, but because the pizza is grilled only briefly, all toppings should be fully cooked before going on the pizza.