Fruit Pizza....wonderful :)

Fruit Pizza...I know it sounds weird but trust me it tastes wonderful and is also a great one for kids to make and they can add all their favourite fruits and enjoy as a healthy pudding :))

Fruit Pizza

Pizza base (please refer to my pizza dough recipe)

3 heaped tbsp Mascarpone

1 tbsp icing sugar

2 tbsp lemon curd

Mix of fruit - I used one pear, a banana, some blueberries and some cherries...feel free to use any fruit you fancy

Milk/dark/white chocolate shavings 

Make up the pizza dough as per my recipe

Roll out the dough and place on a baking tray and bake for around 15-18 minutes until golden ( you can also dry fry it until golden) and allow to cool

Mix the mascarpone and the icing sugar until fully incorporated and the mascarpone is soft enough to spread

Spread the mascarpone onto the pizza base followed by the lemon curd

Then arrange the fruit on top and sprinkle with chocolate shavings or melted chocolate :))

And tuck in :))

Wow wee pizza :))

Who needs a bought pizza...update your own homemade pizza with a cheese stuffed crust and some tasty meatballs :)) I just used some leftover chorizo and Manchego cheese meatballs and stuffed the crust with Manchego cheese and it turned out to be the best pizza ever :))

Refer to my pizza base recipe and chorizo and Manchego cheese meatball recipe :)

Mini Meatball Pizza Muffin Cups

I love it when new ideas come to me, especially when the work haha and this really was a winner! I had been thinking about fun foods for kids and parties and taking something oridinary and putting a little spin on it and I came up with this...at first I wasn't sure whether it would work and crazily I attempted it for the first time on the morning of the Easter party, but thankfully it worked and they went down a storm, everyone loved them and were raving about them...so here's the recipe

Mini Meatball Pizza Muffin Cups

Pizza dough (please refer to my pizza dough recipe)

Meatballs
500g beef mince
35g pancetta or bacon (I used smoked bacon)
2 tbsp mascarpone
1 tbsp grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper

Tomato sauce
1 Onion
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp oregano
Plum tomatoes
1/2 tsp tomato purée
Salt and pepper to taste

Make up the pizza dough and leave to rise.

Mix all the meatball ingredients together in a food processor and then roll into small balls and place on a plate. Place in a fridge for about half an hour if you can but don't worry if you can't.
Heat a small amount of oil in a pan and fry the meatballs until browned all over and set aside

In the same pan heat some more oil and cook the onion until soft and golden.
Add the garlic, oregano and rosemary and fry for a minute more.
Add the tinned plum tomatoes and stir through and add the tomato purée and stir through with some salt and pepper.
Bring to the simmer, add the meatballs and simmer for around 20 minutes. If the sauce becomes too dry, add some water as you will need a little sauce to fill the pizza muffin cups.

Pre heat the oven to 200/180c fan

Once the dough has risen and has about doubled in size, knock back and divide into 10 balls

Oil a deep muffin tin and place the balls into each hole

Spread the dough into the cup and spread up the sides. Spoon a few of the mini meatballs and sauce into the middle and continue with all the dough balls and meatballs

Place into the pre heated oven for about 15-20 minutes

Remove from the muffin tin carefully (if the tin was oiled well they should come out quite easily) and enjoy :)))))

Lahmacun

I always like to try something different so when I saw this middle eastern pizza style dish I know I had to try it...and wow I'm glad I did, it was fantastic and such a wonderful change from your normal style pizza which I must say I'm not the biggest fan of. The enriched dough with the fragrant and spiced minced meat topping with a cooling salad and yoghurt is perfect :) and my three year old absolutely loved it so perfect for kids too :)

Lahmacun
Middle Eastern pizza with spicy minced beef and a salad topping

Makes 2 large or 4 small snack size pizzas

Dough
250g strong white bread flour
½ tbsp salt
2 tsp fast-action dried yeast
½ tbsp caster sugar
60ml sunflower oil
1 medium egg
100ml lukewarm water

Topping
250g minced beef
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1¼ tsp salt
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
1½ tsp ground allspice
½ tsp red chilli flakes
25g flat leaf parsley, chopped
1½ tbsp sumac

3 tbsp tahini paste
25g pine nuts


Olive oil for brushing
Salad (optional)
1 mini-cucumber cut into cubes
2 small tomatoes cut into cubes
10g coriander, roughly chopped
Feta cheese cut into cubes
Yoghurt with fresh mint and parsley roughly chopped and mixed in

Salt and black pepper

Start with the dough. Put the flour, salt, yeast and sugar in a large mixing bowl and stir well to combine. Make a well in the centre. Add the sunflower oil and egg and stir as you add the water. When the dough comes together, remove it from the bowl and knead lightly for 3 minutes on your work surface until smooth, and elastic. Oil a bowl lightly and place the dough inside, brush with some olive oil, cover with cling film and leave somewhere warm for about 2 hours, until almost doubled in size.
Put all of the topping ingredients in a large bowl, apart from the tahini, and pine nuts. Mix well with your hands and pop in the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 210°C/200c and line two large baking sheets with baking parchment.
Divide the risen dough two balls, and roll each into a thin disc, about 2mm thick. Cover and leave to rise for 15 minutes.

If you make the salad, mix together the vegetables and add the coriander, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste Stir gently and set aside.

Spread the tahini onto each disc, divide the filling between the dough and spread it evenly so it covers the dough fully. Sprinkle over the pine nuts and place in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until just cooked. You want to make sure the dough is just baked, not over-baked; the topping can be slightly pink inside and the pastry golden when you look underneath. Remove from the oven, spoon the salad on top, and finish off with a little of the yoghurt

Adapted from a recipe by yotam ottolenghi

Perfect weekend family fun...making pizza

I love to cook and bake with my son and I think it's also very important for them to learn to not just make sweet treats but also savoury ones as well! He normally helps me with my bread making and sometimes we do our own pizza, from the dough, right through to putting our own toppings on! I put out a selection of toppings and sauces and we create our own pizzas, to our own tastes...although most of the time my son likes to eat the veg before it makes it to the pizza, like today when he ate all the olives, peppers and mushrooms, so I had to get some more for the pizzas haha! It makes a perfect family Saturday, making pizza :)

Pizza dough

250g Strong White Bread flour
5g fast action yeast (you can of course use 7g sachet)
1 tsp Salt
1 tbsp Olive oil
150ml lukewarm Water

(This makes 3 medium sized pizzas but you can double this if you wanted)

Put the flour in a bowl and add the yeast on one side and the salt on another. Pour in the oil and then add the water, and mix until you have a soft but not too sticky dough.
Knead on a floured surface for about 8-10 minutes
Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with cling film for about 2 hours or until doubled in size
Turn out onto a work surface and knock back lightly. Divide into 3 balls and roll the balls into a pizza shape. Roll to about 5mm (this all depends if you like your pizzas thick and doughy or thin and crispy)
(If you want to wait to make your pizzas, then roll out and place between oiled baking paper and leave in the fridge to stop the dough from proving and rising anymore-then you can put your toppings on when your ready)
Now your ready to add your toppings

Tomato sauce
1 Onion- chopped finely
1 garlic clove- sliced finely
1/2 tsp oregano
1 x tin Plum tomatoes
1 tsp tomato purée
Salt and pepper to taste

Fry the chopped onion in a good glug of olive oil. Cook until golden brown and soft.
Add the oregano and garlic and fry for 1 minute. Add the tin of plum tomatoes and stir, breaking up the tomatoes as you go. Add the tomato purée and stir in. Add salt and pepper to taste and cook for about 10 minutes until the sauce has reduced slightly and thickened.

Once you have made the dough and the sauce, it is time to make up your pizzas. I also like to use pesto on my pizza so please refer to my pesto recipe on my fb page.

Suggestions for toppings (These are just some of our favourites)
Tomato sauce
Mozzarella
Peppers
Olives
Mushrooms
Pancetta-thin sliced
Salami
Taleggio
Pesto
Cherry tomatoes
Chorizo
Chicken
Basil leaves
Goats cheese
Pine nuts
Walnuts