Grilled Tomato Peach Pizza

Summer solstice and the longest day of the year, which I spent largely outside in a way that felt deliberate. Ryan had a day off and we went to the lakefront for the first time since before the pandemic — walked the whole stretch from 31st to the museum campus and back, got gyros from the stand near the Shedd that we have been going to since our second year together, sat on the rocks in the sun and ate in the way that required no conversation because the food and the lake and the day were enough.

I made gazpacho for dinner that evening with the first tomatoes from the balcony plant, supplemented by Aldi tomatoes because six balcony tomatoes do not fill a blender. Cold and smooth and bright with sherry vinegar and the right amount of jalapeño. We ate it on the balcony watching the sunset at 8:30 PM that lasts forever in June and I thought about a year ago when we were in lockdown making soup and now we are on the other side of it and the soup is cold and the sun is still up and my husband is sitting next to me. I said this out loud. Ryan said yes. That was the whole conversation and it was exactly enough.

One year anniversary of the pandemic proposal, more or less — June in a pandemic kitchen, a diamond ring on my soapy hand, a bottle of wine and cacio e pepe. One year from that to this. I have been thinking about what I want to cook for our actual first anniversary next year, because of course I am already thinking about that, and the answer is: cacio e pepe, again, the same dish, because some things should be repeated when they mean something.

Blog post this week was the gazpacho, second summer in a row but with the note about the balcony tomatoes finally contributing to something. Pedro the pepper plant is still not producing. We are supporting him through his difficult season.

The balcony tomatoes made their first real contribution to dinner this week, and even if they needed backup from Aldi, it felt like a milestone worth celebrating—Pedro the pepper plant remains on his own journey, but the tomato plant showed up. After a solstice day that was already close to perfect, I wanted the evening meal to stay in that same register: something that uses summer produce the way summer produce deserves, something you can eat outside while the sky is still pink. This Grilled Tomato Peach Pizza is the recipe I keep coming back to when the tomatoes are ripe and the evening is long enough to linger over—sweet, smoky, a little charred, exactly right for a balcony at 8:30 PM in June.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 lb pizza dough, store-bought or homemade, at room temperature
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for the grill
1 cup fresh tomatoes, thinly sliced (about 2 medium—balcony-grown if you have them)
1 ripe peach, pitted and thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh mozzarella, torn into pieces
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Fresh basil leaves, for finishing
1 teaspoon balsamic glaze, for drizzling

Instructions

Preheat the grill. Heat a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high (about 450°F). Brush the grates generously with olive oil to prevent sticking.
Prepare the dough. On a lightly floured surface, stretch or roll the pizza dough into a rough 12-inch oval or rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. It doesn’t need to be perfect—rustic edges are part of the appeal. Brush one side lightly with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.
Grill the first side. Place the dough oiled-side down on the grill. Close the lid and cook for 3–4 minutes, until the bottom is set with visible grill marks and the dough puffs slightly. Brush the top with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, then flip.
Build the pizza. Working quickly with the crust on the grill, spread the ricotta in a thin, even layer across the surface. Scatter the minced garlic evenly. Arrange the tomato slices and peach slices in a single layer, overlapping slightly. Dot the torn mozzarella across the top. Sprinkle with thyme, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper.
Finish grilling. Close the lid and cook for another 5–7 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling, the crust is cooked through and lightly charred on the bottom, and the tomatoes and peaches have softened and released their juices.
Rest and finish. Transfer the pizza to a cutting board and let it rest for 2 minutes. Scatter fresh basil leaves over the top and finish with a light drizzle of balsamic glaze. Slice and serve immediately, preferably outside.

Nutrition (per serving)

Grilled Tomato Peach Pizza — When the Balcony Finally Gives Back