Okay, here they are, some great pies that I have made over the years because I just love fruit on pizzas. It adds such an great counterpoint to sour cheeses and is the perfect accompaniment to aged and crunchy wheat. The Tellegio and mango schiacciata (above) is a perfect pairing with Jamaican flower and dried cherries that I turned into a re-hydrated jam.

Above is my Paw Paw Turkish Pide (PEE-day) with lentil cream, arugula, goat feta, pancetta and black sesame.

How bout this Rabbit and Persimmon Pizza with winter carrots,wild jeruselem artichoke, arugula and Griffin’s Dream-this cheese is made in the style of Saint Maure and is a little creamier than traditional chevre with hints of citrus and nuts.

Lets move on to a double whammy with a peach and Gorgonzola dolce pizza with balsamic glaze in the foreground and a Tahini “Bap” with French Brie and a Bosc pear poached in vanilla, honey and maple syrup.

Here are some fabulous local Pide with a take on the “Schiacciata Con la Uva” of Tuscany. These I made with fresh local pancetta, chevre, cumin and walnuts. Thanks to Neil Cherry for grapes that taste nothing like store bought grapes!

Yea, I’m stretching this because of the tomato but IT IS A FRUIT Y’KNOW. This gourgous Pizza al Metro has pancetta, provolone, fresh summer tomato, shaved onion, arugula and some Calabrian chilies.

Here is a roasted chipotle onion with blueberry pie with smoked King Family bacon and fresh mozzarella. (Hmm, pork again, see a trend?)

Lets delve into a pizza that has fruit as a back-up singer. Both chicken leg and the morel mushrooms were poached in a Parmigiano Reggiano broth with lemon. This combination with Bulgarian Kashkaval cheese and wild local watercress just made the morels and chicken SING!

Now for something wayyyyy outside the box. This is a Nama-yuba pizzette, (This is a soy-milk skin in layers as a crust) with fresh spring strawberries atop New Zealand Spinach, some killer Griffins Dream cheese from Integration Acres, balsamic vinegar, and some soy-maple pickled burdock root.

When blackberry season starts here in Southeast Ohio, I love to make this schiacciata with fresh spinach, mozzarella, provolone, guanciale, pancetta and finished with maple syrup.

The creation of great pizza and bread starter can also be achieved through the use of fruit. These wonderful Cabernet Franc and Vidal Blanc grapes made a wonderful naturally yeasted starter. All I did was add local spring water and waited for the magic, (or what some would call scum) to form. then a little strain and some wonderful sugars in the form of flour for the yeast to eat and VOILA! A grape starter!

Speaking of the above-mentioned grapes, here are both kinds paired with Harmony Hollow rabbit and Castelveltrano olives. Along with that, I paired some great local flat leaf parsley and French Soignon cheese for a melty-rabbity delight.

Sometimes fruit in Athens comes in buckets. When that happens, I like to use a couple at once on a particularly pork-centric schiacciata like this Stilton and apple schiacciata with local smoked bacon and fresh persimmons topped with a persimmon-mango glaze! (CHECK PLEASE!)

Speaking of Pork, here is some French Emmenthal paired with local apples and King Family Ham and a magnificent ramp-pistachio pesto.

Here is a cilantro, pear, curried cauliflower and pear pizza made with natural starter and some fab fresh chevre.

Okay, I know it isn’t the traditional pizza shape but this brioche and banana beauty is adorned with Nutella, toasted almonds and a great almond pudding made with ricotta and mascarpone.

Another curried cauliflower pizza with New Zealand spinach, Gruyere, potatoes and pear for a balanced “Agra dolce” effect.

Yumm spells a plethora of spinach, Stilton and pear pies with the salty Serrano ham from Spain.

Yes, I would go out on a limb and call beets the “Fruit of the dirt” just so I can put this pic in here. Gourgeous with ramp pesto, fresh chevre and provolone with spinach and ricotta.

I still cannot decide which I like better, Stilton or Gorg but here is some great Gorgonzola dolce with a poached pear, atop fresh spinach.

And finally this is the last slice of out chocolate pizza with Nutella, tiramisu cream, whipped cream, brulee’d banana, strawberry coulis, mint and a fab…I’ll bet you think I am gonna say “Pork”….no, its a ‘WAFER THIN BACON ROULADE WITH CAYENNE AND HONEY.”I am very proud that we helped Re Napoli with this pizza at the Food Network Pizza Challenge in New York last month.