Easy summer breakfast pizza earns you an extra hour of sleep

One of the pleasures of a long summer weekend is sharing the slow rituals of waking up with your guests. The silent, patient huddle around the coffee pot waiting for the first mug. The rustle of Sunday paper from all corners of the kitchen table. A quick perambulation ‘round the garden to clip flowers and possibly squeeze in a quiet chat. Eventually your groggy-eyed clan will look at you with that look, and breakfast will need to emerge from this lovely miasma of coziness and laziness. 

Enlist their help in setting the table with the usual toast and jam alongside bowls of fresh fruits and tomatoes from the farmers' market. Encourage them to season a few slices of fresh watermelon with Himalayan salt. Pour out tiny sips of chilled Vouvray for the grownups and barely-sweet mint lemonade for the kids. 

Now it’s your turn. Watch their mouths start to water when you bring out a store-bought pizza crust, or one already baked the night before by your local pizzeria. The salty simplicity of the dough is a tasty base upon which to layer all manner of flavors. Warm it in the oven or on the grill with no toppings. While it’s still hot, spread it all over with something creamy, like goat cheese mascarpone. Layer it up with gravlax or smoked salmon, thin shreds of red onion, and red cabbage. Sprinkle it with black pepper. Vegetarians can go Caprese with fresh mozzarella, tomato, and basil. If you’re a carnivore, brush the crust with olive oil and cover with prosciutto, slices of yellow bell pepper, and sprinkles of chopped fresh cilantro.  

Slice it up with a pizza wheel, and watch it disappear. While they’re savoring this delicious treat, assign lunch to someone else, and go back to bed. 

Tip: Smoked Salmon and Goat Cheese Mascarpone Breakfast Pizza is the centerpiece of this summer weekend breakfast.  Table linens and vintage Fiestaware courtesy of Dwelling and Design and Trumpeter Swan Antiques, Easton, Maryland.

Story by KEITH RECKER  //  Photography by JEFF SWENSEN

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