Challenge Book #36 - Chocolate Pizza

The chocolate, it calls to me. When I said I can eat limitless amounts of good chocolate you thought I was joking right. No, it's true. Well, my work colleagues did gave a major helping hand with the baked chocolate fudge. It disappeared in short order. And so, it's time for the choc binge to go on - with chocolate pizza.

I know, I know right!!! Sounds hideous. I kinda thought so to. But I was intrigued and had to try it. And now I am here to tell you that this is quite simply DELICIOUS, YUMMY, GORGEOUS. You get the message I'm sure. I was shocked out of my little socks at how good it was.

It consists of a thin pizza crust, which is quite simply the best I have ever made. Lovely and light and gently crisp on the bottom. A layer of nutella, a few dollops of mascarpone, a score of sour cherries, a spattering of chopped turkish delight, a scattering of pistachios and a sprinkling of toffee shards. Does it get any better!!


I I can over one suggestion it is to ensure that there is sufficient sour cherries to have some in every bite. Otherwise the sweetness can just overwhelm you. There is also an option to go for a sweet dough. I thought it would just be too much so I went with plain.

This pizza is supposed to be served with vanilla ice cream. So why do I have a miserable little bowl of cream sitting there? Well, because I am a doofus. The vanilla ice cream I thought was in the freezer turned out to be lemon. Not really chocolate appropriate.

Fortunately I had some cream in the fridge. Which absolutely, stubbornly refused to whip. I have never had this happen before. It just sat there all thin and nyherrr!!! So I gave up. I actually don't think you need it. The pizza is great just on it's own.

And really it should be given that it's from a world pizza champion, an Australian chef called John Lanzafame. Apparently he learned all his pizza skills from his Italian mother. This book has an amazing range of dessert pizzas (among the more expected sort). Banana split, peaches and cream, cherry and almond. All sound divine!!

This is of course, Challenge Book #36 in the KJ wants a Kitchen Aid Challenge. This is the first recipe I have tried from this book. Which is quite excusable I think as it was a Christmas present. I will certainly be making many more.

My Favourite Chocolate Pizza

(adapted from Pizz Modo Mio)

115gm caster sugar
1 tbspn lemon juice
1 quantity of pizza dough
100gm chocolate hazelnut spread (nutella)
2 tbspn mascarpone cheese
12 bottled sour cherries, halved
12 bite sized pieces turkish delight
40gm unsalted pistachios, chopped

Heat the sugar and lemon juice over a low heat until the sugar melts and becomes a caramel colour. Pour the toffee onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and tilt until it spreads out thinly. Leave to set. Then break into shards.

Roll out the dough into two 15cm rounds or a free form shape. Prick all over with a fork. Spread the bases with the chocolate spread, and top with small dollops of mascarpone. Scatter over the cherries.

Place the pizzas on a pizza stone preheated in a 250C oven. Bake for 5 minutes or until the base is golden and crisp.

Remove from the oven and scatter with the turkish delight, pistachios and toffee shards.

Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Pizza Dough
(adapted from Pizza mio modo)

1 tspn dried yeast
1 tspn salt
100ml warm water
2 tspn olive oil
160gm plain flour

Put the yeast, water and a tbspn of the flour into a small bowl and whisk together. Leave in warm place for 10 minutes or until the mix has started to bubble.

Add the flour, salt and oil and mix together. Knead for 10-15 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Rub with olive oil and place in a bowl. Cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place for 1-1 1/2 hours until doubled in size.

Punch down the dough. If you wish to make a sweet dough add 1 tspn of brown sugar and knead in at this stage. (At this stage you can also leave the dough in the fridge overnight, bringing back to room temperature before continuing on).

Leave the dough in a warm place for 15 minutes until risen by half again. The dough is now ready to use.