Grilled Prosciutto and Date Pizza

This recipe takes a classic pizza combination – prosciutto, mozzarella and arugula – and adds sun-ripened medjool dates for an excellent salty-sweet pie. Before grilling your pizzas, make sure the grate on your grill is really clean. This will help your dough release easily and give you nice defined grill marks. Also, the toppings on this pizza are intentionally light: Try not to overdo it on the cheese or the thin crust will get soggy.

Makes Two 12-inch Pizzas (Serves 3 to 4 people)  Ingredients:

• 1 pound store-bought pizza dough
• 6 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 large garlic clove, finely grated
• 2 Tablespoons small rosemary sprigs
• One 8-ounce ball fresh mozzarella, torn into bite size pieces
• 4 Rancho Meladuco Medjool Dates, pitted and chopped (see Note below)
• 3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
• 3 cups packed baby arugula
• ½ lemon
• Shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano, for garnish
• Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, for sprinkling

Divide the pizza dough in half and transfer to two medium bowls. Drizzle each half with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil; turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the garlic, rosemary and the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil together. Let sit until ready to use. Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. With lightly oiled hands, gently press and stretch each piece of dough into a 12-inch circle or oval. Brush all over with half of the garlic-rosemary oil. Grill each pizza over moderately-high heat (about 425°F), turning once, until lightly charred on both sides and puffed, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a work surface. Brush one side of each pizza with the remaining garlic-rosemary oil and top with any leftover rosemary sprigs. Divide the mozzarella between the pizzas, leaving a ½-inch border. Scatter the chopped dates over the cheese. Slide the pizzas back onto the grill, working in batches if necessary. Cover the grill and cook over moderately-low heat (about 325°F) until the cheese is just melted, about 5 minutes. If using a grill pan, cover with a rimmed baking sheet. Transfer the pizzas to a work surface. Arrange ribbons of prosciutto on top of each pizza, then pile the arugula on top of the prosciutto. Drizzle with more olive oil and squeeze the lemon half over both pizzas. Garnish with shaved parmesan cheese and sprinkle with flaky sea salt and black pepper. Cut the pizza into slices or strips and serve hot. NOTE If your dates are feeling a little dry, then set the whole dates in a medium heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit for 2 to 5 minutes, or until softened. Drain, pit and chop.

Recipe created & photographed for us by Julia Heffelfinger