Dessert Pizza

Most people think of pizza as only the standard yeast dough-tomato sauce-mozzarella cheese main dish, but the word literally means "pie" and can be applied to an amazing variety of dishes. Here, we created a delicious fruit pizza, ideal for a summer dessert or midafternoon snack.

What follows isn't a recipe so much as a general guide -- you can improvise on every component, from the crust to the filling to the topping. Just use what's in season and available.

Crust

You can make a regular pizza crust (see Lynne's Pizza Margharita recipe), a pastry crust for something a little sweeter, or buy a premade crust of either type. Any sort of flatbread will do, really; just keep in mind that the crust is not the main star here, and so should be relatively thin and subtly flavored. Lynne used a pastry crust that she made at home. The crust should be baked before the other ingredients are added.

Spread

For the spread, anything dairy will do: cream cheese will give the pizza one kind of flavor, a sweetened ricotta another, and fresh-whipped cream a different flavor and texture entirely. (Please, though, no Cool Whip!)

Lynne used fromage fraîche, bought right at the farmer's market from one of her favorite cheesemakers. Into the cheese, Lynne blended sugar, lemon, vanilla and a pinch of salt to taste. Folded into that was some heavy cream, whipped with a little sugar and vanilla. Slather liberally onto your crust.

Topping

Top the pizza with seasonal fruit (in Lynne's case, honeydew and raspberries). Lynne put her fruit on straight from the vendor's stall, but you could marinate the fruit in balsamic vinegar (peaches are especially good this way), liqueurs or an artisan fruit syrup for a wealth of flavor combinations.

Finally, serve and enjoy.