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Pizza pizzaz with delectable dulce de leche cheesecake
With Shavuot just around the corner, these two specially-created Sharon Glass recipes are sure to be winners with your family. Indulge in a little bit of decadence with the dulce de leche cheesecake (it’s just sublime)! It’s dairy time, so while the pizza dough will take you just minutes to make, you can use any topping and vamp the pizzas up a bit. Change the shape, and see how interesting you can make them. Have fun!
SHARON GLASS
Long pizzas with assorted toppings
These unusually shaped long pizzas are crispy, thin, and decorated with a variety of toppings. These can be just as adventurous as you want them to be.
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Dough
500ml (2 cups) flour
10ml (2 tsp) sugar
10g (0.35 oz) instant yeast
10ml (2 tsp) coarse salt
30ml (2 Tbs) olive oil
250ml (1 cup) warm water
Mix dry ingredients together. Stir the olive oil and warm water together. Then fold the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and knead well to make a dough. Place in an oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Leave to rise for about an hour in a warm place.
Toppings
olive tapenade or sun-dried tomato paste
mushrooms, sliced and fried
zucchini, sliced in ribbons
roasted eggplant
soft mozzarella balls, sliced
fresh rosemary, thyme, or basil
coarse salt
black pepper
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Divide dough in half. Roll out very thinly into two long rectangles. Spread with either the tapenade or tomato paste. Then top with a selection of vegetables. Scatter with mozzarella slices. Sprinkle with fresh herbs. Season well with salt and pepper.
Bake on the oven’s middle rack for about 15 minutes or until bubbling and golden. Slide off the baking tray and place directly on the oven rack for about five minutes.
Chef’s tip: I love topping these pizzas with whatever takes my fancy that day. I sometimes add some caramelised onions and a few drops of pesto for a delicious change.
Serves 4-6
Dulche de leche cheesecake
The caramel sauce marbled into this ultra-creamy cheesecake leaves a delectable taste on your tongue. Forget about the diet when eating this.
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 90 minutes
Ingredients
150g (5.29 oz) Amaretti biscuits, crushed
45g (1.5 oz) unsalted butter, melted
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Mix crushed biscuits with the unsalted butter and press onto the bottom and a little up the sides of a 24cm (9 inch) springform tin. Bake crust until just browned. Set aside to cool.
Filling
250ml (1 cup) mascarpone
250ml (1 cup) Philadelphia cream cheese
500ml (2 cups) cream cheese
4 eggs
250ml (235g) castor sugar
60ml (38g) flour
5ml (1 tsp) vanilla essence
Method
Place all ingredients in a food processor, and pulse until just mixed through, smooth and creamy.
Pour into pre-baked crust shell. Lower oven temperature to 140°C. Bake for about 45-50 minutes or until just set. Turn oven off and cool in oven for about 30-40 minutes before removing from oven. Refrigerate when cool. Remove from fridge about two to three hours before serving.
Dulce de leche sauce
80ml (⅓ cup) treacle brown sugar
60ml (¼ cup) cream
60ml (¼ cup) condensed milk
Bring sugar and cream to a boil, and simmer until sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the condensed milk. Cool. Drizzle over the top of the cheesecake just before serving. Top with sugared pecans.
Sugared pecans
100g (3 oz) pecans
60ml (¼ cup) water
80ml (⅓ cup) icing sugar
Dip nuts into water. When they are wet, roll them in icing sugar. Place on a baking tray and bake in a preheated 140°C oven for about 15 minutes or until toasted. Keep in a Tupperware until ready to use.
Chef’s tip: refrigerate cheesecake, and then remove before serving to bring to room temperature for a few hours.
Serves 8-10