Archive for the ‘Desserts’ Category
Chocolate and Banana Pizza – Perfect for Easy Kids Parties
February 8th, 2010 | 
Author: 
Sarah Gasu asked:
In my neck of the woods over the last few years the ‘Chocolate Restaurant’ concept has grown in popularity, there is usually one in every shopping mall where you will see people both young and old sipping and dipping from little pots of melted chocolate or smiling and making that heavenly expression of rapture as they savour the sweet gooeyness of a chocolate pizza! Whoa, rewind there…chocolate pizza? Yes chocolate pizza. And what goes better with chocolate than banana?
Chocolate and Banana Pizza
Makes 4*
Let’s start with the base.
As kids parties or any party for that matter are my thing I like to keep it as simple but of course delicious as possible. You could make your own base, but if time is of the essence which it usually is for me I recommend a sheet of frozen puff pastry.
For the topping:
200g (7oz) block of dark chocolate (Choc chips are not recommended as they contain vegetable oil which is not great when melting, hence they retain their shape when used in cookies or muffins)
60g (2.12oz) unsalted butter
100mls (3.5 fl.oz) of thickened cream
4 bananas, just ripe
Lemon Juice
Handful of mini marshmallows
Vanilla ice-cream (optional)
Method
Defrost and cut sheet of pastry into 4 squares
Place chopped chocolate, cream and butter over a double boiler (boiling water in pan with bowl for chocolate sitting above) stirring gently and continuously to keep from overheating. What you are creating here is simply a ganache.
Spread chocolate over the pastry bases**
Peel and slice bananas and toss in lemon juice then arrange over pizza
Lastly sprinkle with mini marshmallows
Place on a tray (spray with oil if you don’t have silicone tray) and pop in oven at 180°C for around 5 minutes or until pastry edges puff and are a golden colour.
To Serve
You can make these ahead of time and serve cold, but for a truly delicious experience serve hot with a scoop of ice-cream plonked on top, and for an even more delicious experience, if that’s possible, roll the scoop of ice-cream in icing sugar first.
*It is possible to spread this topping further to 6 or even 8 pizzas, but I’ll leave that up to you to decide.
**If you like you can make the chocolate topping ahead of time and place in oven to set then when you are ready to construct the pizza chop the chocolate into squares and sprinkle over the pizza. They will melt into lovely globs of sweetness.
Enjoy!
In my neck of the woods over the last few years the ‘Chocolate Restaurant’ concept has grown in popularity, there is usually one in every shopping mall where you will see people both young and old sipping and dipping from little pots of melted chocolate or smiling and making that heavenly expression of rapture as they savour the sweet gooeyness of a chocolate pizza! Whoa, rewind there…chocolate pizza? Yes chocolate pizza. And what goes better with chocolate than banana?
Chocolate and Banana Pizza
Makes 4*
Let’s start with the base.
As kids parties or any party for that matter are my thing I like to keep it as simple but of course delicious as possible. You could make your own base, but if time is of the essence which it usually is for me I recommend a sheet of frozen puff pastry.
For the topping:
200g (7oz) block of dark chocolate (Choc chips are not recommended as they contain vegetable oil which is not great when melting, hence they retain their shape when used in cookies or muffins)
60g (2.12oz) unsalted butter
100mls (3.5 fl.oz) of thickened cream
4 bananas, just ripe
Lemon Juice
Handful of mini marshmallows
Vanilla ice-cream (optional)
Method
Defrost and cut sheet of pastry into 4 squares
Place chopped chocolate, cream and butter over a double boiler (boiling water in pan with bowl for chocolate sitting above) stirring gently and continuously to keep from overheating. What you are creating here is simply a ganache.
Spread chocolate over the pastry bases**
Peel and slice bananas and toss in lemon juice then arrange over pizza
Lastly sprinkle with mini marshmallows
Place on a tray (spray with oil if you don’t have silicone tray) and pop in oven at 180°C for around 5 minutes or until pastry edges puff and are a golden colour.
To Serve
You can make these ahead of time and serve cold, but for a truly delicious experience serve hot with a scoop of ice-cream plonked on top, and for an even more delicious experience, if that’s possible, roll the scoop of ice-cream in icing sugar first.
*It is possible to spread this topping further to 6 or even 8 pizzas, but I’ll leave that up to you to decide.
**If you like you can make the chocolate topping ahead of time and place in oven to set then when you are ready to construct the pizza chop the chocolate into squares and sprinkle over the pizza. They will melt into lovely globs of sweetness.
Enjoy!
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How To Make Ice Cream More Tasteful
nlwest21 asked:
Ice cream if one of the greatest sweets and snacks that anybody can eat. It is delicious, comes in a great deal of flavors, and helps to make us happy when we are down. The fact that it comes in loads of flavors is positive for individuals who do not like dull vanilla and like to have more alternatives in their life.
If you eat ice cream as often as I do then you have gone through all of these selections and suddenly they are not as delicious any longer. The only other thing that you are able to do is purchase distinct toppings that you can put on top of it or make your own. Because I am someone who loves to try new things I am selecting the alternative to make it myself.
The best part about this is how I am able to place in the ingredients and flavors that I want and enjoy. It is like going to Cold Stone Creamery and telling them just what toppings you wish to have no matter how weird it can be. Rather then eating plain old vanilla I have the ability to add coffee flavoring and perhaps even some gummy bears.
When I am trying to eat healthier and make a point my children are getting the foods and nutrients they require I can supply some fresh fruits and chocolate chips or pieces of the cookies and cream candy bar we enjoy so much. The choices are endless and it is so fun to do with your kids. You may even give them the chance to come up with their own ice cream recipes to try out.
Ice cream if one of the greatest sweets and snacks that anybody can eat. It is delicious, comes in a great deal of flavors, and helps to make us happy when we are down. The fact that it comes in loads of flavors is positive for individuals who do not like dull vanilla and like to have more alternatives in their life.
If you eat ice cream as often as I do then you have gone through all of these selections and suddenly they are not as delicious any longer. The only other thing that you are able to do is purchase distinct toppings that you can put on top of it or make your own. Because I am someone who loves to try new things I am selecting the alternative to make it myself.
The best part about this is how I am able to place in the ingredients and flavors that I want and enjoy. It is like going to Cold Stone Creamery and telling them just what toppings you wish to have no matter how weird it can be. Rather then eating plain old vanilla I have the ability to add coffee flavoring and perhaps even some gummy bears.
When I am trying to eat healthier and make a point my children are getting the foods and nutrients they require I can supply some fresh fruits and chocolate chips or pieces of the cookies and cream candy bar we enjoy so much. The choices are endless and it is so fun to do with your kids. You may even give them the chance to come up with their own ice cream recipes to try out.