If you really had any doubts about it, I’ll put it to rest now (See “Spaghetti Confession”). No, I’ve not made a dessert pizza. In fact, I don’t think I’ve even eaten any dessert pizza.

 

Well, my client is demonstrating how to make dessert pizza at her store this week, so I had to produce a leaflet detailing dessert pizza recipes. My client had a dessert pizza somewhere, once, and wanted to replicate it. She described it to me and left me with the job of translating it into a recipe. This is basically what she told me she would make: a banana caramel pizza. And she wants to make it by using ready made mini-pizza bases. Spread caramel on the base, then top with banana slices and pieces of chocolate, and then bake until the chocolate melts. I have to admit, this sounds really quite heavenly. Is your mouth watering yet?

 

I struggled with the technicalities of quantities and timing – writing a recipe really isn’t that easy – and then when I tried to find a royalty-free photo of the internet of something that looks like a banana caramel pizza, well, there was none to be had. And let me tell you, trawling through hundreds of photos of ‘banana caramel’ dishes can make you have a dire hankering for some the stuff. Anyway, the upshot is, I came up with this recipe and if you would like to make it and tell me how it turns out, and even better, take a photo of it – please do, and send it to me!

 

Banana Caramel Pizza

 

Ingredients:

 

4 mini pizza bases (about 5-6 inch/13 – 15cm)

8 tablespoons Nestle tinned caramel

4 small, ripe bananas, sliced

300g couverture (or any good quality) milk or dark chocolate, chopped to 1cm chunks

4 scoops vanilla bean ice-cream

Caramel sauce/topping

 

Method:

 

Heat oven to 180 degrees

Bake pizza bases in oven for 8 minutes

Remove pizza bases and allow to cool slightly

Spread 2 tablespoons of caramel on each pizza base

Arrange banana slices on top of the caramel

Scatter chocolate chunks over the banana slices

Bake in oven for 6-8 minutes, or until chocolate appears soft and glossy

Remove and top with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream

Drizzle caramel sauce over and serve immediately

 

 

So I wrote this up on the leaflet, and it looked really quite forlorn there on its own, with no photo to jazz up the page. So I figured I really should include another recipe, so this is what I came up with. I’d seriously love some feedback on this one as well.

 

Apple Frangipane Pizza

 

Ingredients:

 

4 mini pizza bases (about 5-6 inch/13 – 15cm)

1 cup almond meal

4 tablespoons butter, softened

1/4 cup icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 can pie apple

3 tbs ground Dutch cinnamon

8 tablespoons golden demerara sugar

4 scoops vanilla bean ice-cream

4 tbs golden syrup

 

Method:

 

Heat oven to 180 degrees

Bake pizza bases for 8 minutes

Meanwhile, combine the almond meal, butter, icing sugar and vanilla.

Allow pizza to cool slightly, then spread the almond mixture on the bases

Arrange slices of pie apple on top of the almond mixture

Dust cinnamon over the apple

Sprinkle with demerara sugar

Bake in oven for 6-8 minutes

Top hot pizzas with ice-cream and quickly drizzle golden syrup over to finish

 

Tell me how you ‘fare’ with the timing and quantities, and if the instructions make sense. Send me pics if you like!