Homemade Pizzas

I made cheesy heart-shaped pizzas for Valentine's Day this year. Turned out quite good.
The dough didn't rise much for some reason, but it still was good - like thin crust, and not dry.

Base (makes three 10-12 inch bases):

Dissolve 1 tbsp of active dry yeast in a cup of warm water for 5 minutes.


Sift together:
500 gms of flour (for this, I used a mix of self-raising and whole wheat)
Pinch of salt

Add the yeast to the flour along with some more warm water to knead the flour.
Knead till soft.
Coat the ball of dough with some olive oil - just so it doesn't stick to the bowl and leave to prove for 2 hours.
(You could work on the toppings meanwhile).
After 2 hours, knead it again to remove the air bubbles.
Divide into 3-4 large parts, or 6 smaller ones.
You could roll it out on a floured surface or just stretch it to get the shape you want.
Place it on the floured baking tray and add the toppings.

Toppings:
Tomato sauce (I used store-bought pasta sauce. You could also use homemade sauce)
Veggies (mushrooms, par-boiled spinach, bell peppers, grilled aubergines)
Garnish (capers, olives)
Cooked meats/sausages are optional 
Herbs (chilli flakes, oregano, chives)
Cheese

Bake in the oven at 180 deg C on the lower rack or 25 minutes: the last 7-8 minutes with the heat on just the base.

Apple Pie

I love apple pie! But I've never had the patience to turn out a good crust till I saw the video on Joy of Baking. It is a nice simple recipe with some tips and tricks to make the process simpler.

For the pie crust:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
225 gms butter - chilled and cut into small cubes
1/4 cup ice water (not all of it might be used)

I envy those with a food processor. I have to do this by hand which doesn't come out as good unless you practice a lot.

Start with putting the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Then add the butter cubes and incorporate it well with the dough till it is crumbly. The trick is to not overwork the butter dough so do it in quick motions within a minute. Then add a few tablespoons of the chilled water and knead. keep adding some water till the dough just about binds. Make sure there's no excess water.

Divide this dough into 2 parts. Flatten out each one into a 6 inch circle, wrap in clear wrap and put it in the fridge for at least an hour. Take out one of the circles after an hour. You may let it sit on the counter for 5-10 minutes if it is too hard to roll out. Make sure to dust the work space with some flour and roll out the dough as per the shape of your pan. the dough should be large enough to cover the base and sides of the pan. Gently pick up the dough and place it in the pan. If it breaks then just stick it together in the pan. Poke the crust with a fork to make some tiny holes in the base. Put it back in the fridge for an hour.

For the filling:

• 4-5 apples - peeled, cored and cut into thin slices
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (I substitued bothe the sugars with 1tbsp honey and maple syrup)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp butter, room temperature
• 1 tbsp cornflour

Place the apples in a bowl and coat them with the lemon juice to prevent browning. Add the salt, sugars and spices. Cover and let it rest on the counter for 30 minutes.

Once the juices start to separate, place the apples in a strainer and collect the juices in a bowl below. Let it rest for another 30 minutes. Then take the juices (approximately half a cup) and place it in a microwaveable container. Add the butter and heat in the microwave for 5-6 minutes. Make sure the container is large enough because the mixture will boil and overflow. After 6 minutes, the juices would have thickened and turned like caramel.

Transfer the apples back into the bowl and add the heated caramel. Mix in the cornflour to soak up the excess liquid.

Place the apples in the tray with the pie crust. I didn't want too much of crust on my pie so I didn't make the top crust. If you do plan to make one for your pie then roll out the other half of the dough to cover the pie. If you want to seal the edges, then make a slit at the center of the top crust to let the steam out. Joy of Baking has a great video to show you how to do this.

Bake at 220 degrees Celsius for about 30-40 minutes. Make sure the edges of the pie crust don't burn. The crust should just be golden brown. Take it out from the heat and cool on a wire rack for an hour before digging in.

No Bake Yogurt Cheesecake

I love cheesecakes...in fact I love most things that have cheese.
Here's a really easy recipe to make one at home.

For the base you'll need...
1 large packet of biscuit (I use Digestive or Parle G)
1/2 cup butter (room temperature)

Put the biscuits in a plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin, or ground them into a processor. Mix in the butter evenly and spoon it in a pan, pressing it so that the base is even. Keep in freezer to set till you make the filling.

Strain 1 cup yogurt so that all the whey drains out, and you are left with thick yogurt.

For the filling, mix

• 1 small sachet of gelatin (I used Orange flavoured) dissolved in 1/4 cup boiling water and set aside.
• 200gms cream cheese at room temperature with 1/2 cup sugar. Blend till smooth.

 Add the yogurt to the cream and mix well. Finally add the gelatin and mix well to remove lumps. Pour this onto the crust and put it in the fridge for 3-4 hours to set.

Top it with fresh fruits, preserves, chocolate sauce, or just enjoy it as it is!

Apple-Pineapple Oatmeal Pie

I'm fond of an oatmeal pie crust great for 2 reasons - they're healthy, and you don't need finesse to bake one...just mix it all up and put it in a pan.

For the Pie Crust
Mix 2 cups of oatmeal, 3 tbsps brown sugar, and half a cup of whole wheat flour with 1/4 cup melted butter.
Mix it all up nicely and put it in a baking dish. Press it down well so that the entire mixture is condensed onto the tray and bake it at 180 deg C for 10 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.

For the Filling
2 apples cored, peeled and sliced
Some chunks of pineapple...mashed or sliced (if you are using canned fruits then remember to drain them)
2 tbsps flour
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsps brown sugar
some ground cinnamon
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsps cream

Combine everything in a bowl and mix well. Put this on the prepared pie crust and bake at 220 deg C for 8-10 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 175 deg C and bake for 30 minutes.

Enjoy a healthy dessert!