Another summer is winding down.  New school year’s are starting, gardens are in full harvest mode, and everyone seems to be squeezing out all the “staycation” exuberance they have left.  So this week, we’re highlighting the ease and playfulness of a pizza buffet.

We are lucky enough to live in time where gluten free, dairy free, and organic products are almost as easy to find as “regular” products of similar ilk.  So offering a pizza buffet to family friends is easy as assembling together all the ingredients that float your unique culinary boat (ie: tolerated, suitable, tasty, adventurous).

For our buffet we purchased pre-made gluten free pizza dough from the freezer section of our grocery store, and toppings such as:  Sheep Ricotta, Dairy Free Mozzarella, Buffalo Mozzarella, Prosciutto, Pancetta, Smoked Salmon, Pepperoni, Ham, Bell Peppers, and fresh herbs and tomatoes from our garden.  We also had berries, honey, and jam to pair with the ricotta for a pizza dessert.  You can cook your pizzas on a bbq or in the oven, however it works best for your buffet plans too!

Although we could have opted for a store bought pizza sauce, we chose to make our own, here’s the recipe we used for a quick sauce:

2 15oz cans of tomato sauce
1 6oz can of tomato paste
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons honey
2-3 Tablespoons fresh chopped oregano
1 tsp salt
pepper as desired

Stir together over medium heat until just boiling then turn down and simmer until ready to use.

So use your pizza dough as a blank canvas on which you can paint your very own masterpiece of yumminess, and best of all – everyone gets to make their own leaving you just a few more dulcet moments to enjoy the pleasures of summer.