Reinventing the wheel: Look beyond the pizza parlor fortopping ideas

Pizza is one of those chameleon foods: It can be whatever you want it to be.

But most people — even chefs — never reach beyond the cheese, pepperoni, vegetables and red sauce.

"If I'm going to eat pizza as a meal, it's pepperoni all the way," says Christine Keff, the chef and owner of Seattle's acclaimed Flying Fish restaurant. "Don't be putting anything else on there."

But that didn't stop Keff and other award-winning chefs, bakers and mixologists from offering delicious, unconventional ideas about America's comfort food.

Use the crust as a "platter" and heap it with fried oysters or even salad. Treat it more like a pastry shell and layer it with fresh peaches or berries and cream. Or toss the dough on the grill for a manly pizza Dad can be proud of.

For all of them, store-bought refrigerated dough makes a fast and easy crust that lets you focus on the toppings.

SALAD AND DESSERT

If your belt has gotten too tight, pastry expert and cookbook author Dorie Greenspan offers a departure from heavy, gooey, meat-lover's pizza.

Salad Pizzas: Brush the dough with olive oil, dust it with slivered garlic, Parmesan cheese and sea salt. Bake it, then top with:

— Arugula, tomato slices, mozzarella cubes, toasted pine nuts and bits of cooked chicken or leftover grilled steak that have been tossed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Garnish with shaved Parmesan.

— A bed of shredded iceberg lettuce tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper, then topped with cooked shrimp, cubed avocado, jalapeno peppers, red onions, tomatoes and red peppers dressed with olive oil, lime juice, salt, pepper, hot sauce and chopped fresh cilantro.

Dessert Pizza: Roll the dough thin and bake until almost done. Sprinkle with brown sugar and butter and bake until bubbling. Top with:

— Berries tossed with sugar, torn fresh mint, cracked black pepper. Serve with a dollop of honey-drizzled mascarpone, or vanilla ice cream and hot fudge.

HAWAIIAN PIZZA REDUX

You won't catch Canadian bacon and canned pineapple anywhere near Hawaiian chef Peter Merriman's pies. But this founder of Hawaii Regional Cuisine, a group that celebrates the use of fresh and local island ingredients, offers suggestions for authentic island combos. Try: