Not-Your-Typical Meat Pizza 

I started with a light soft dough, topped it with pizza sauce, then added cubes of turkey pastrami and shredded sweet potato in lieu of cheese. The sweet and piquant drizzle is the perfect balance of flavor for the turkey. It’s not your typical pizza, but you’re going to love it. Can be used as an appetizer or side. 

YIELDS 20 MINI PIZZAS DOUGH

• 1 cup warm water (or 1 cup slightly warmed apple juice)
• 2¹⁄₂ tsp dry yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2¹⁄₂–3 cups flour (I used whole wheat pastry)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• ¹⁄₂ tsp dough enhancer (optional)

TOPPINGS

• ¹⁄₂ cup marinara sauce
• 1 heaping Tbsp mayonnaise (low fat is fine)
• 6 slices turkey pastrami
• 1–2 medium sweet potatoes, shredded
• 2 tsp olive oil
• pinch salt

GLAZE

• ¹⁄₄ cup sweet chili sauce
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• pinch salt
• 1¹⁄₂ scant Tbsp honey

To make the dough: Pour warm water or juice into the bowl of a mixer. Add yeast and sugar and let it proof. Add the remaining dough ingredients in the order listed. Mix until a soft dough is formed, and continue beating for 5 minutes. (This can be done by hand too.)

At this point you have three options:

1) Place the dough in freezer, well wrapped, until ready to use, then defrost fully before using.

2) Form the dough into small discs and freeze on a tray. Once frozen, place in a bag, then defrost when ready to use.

3) Place the dough in the fridge for a few hours or leave out to rise for about an hour and continue.

To assemble: Break off small pieces of dough and roll each one with a rolling pin into a small circle or disc.

Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Mix the marinara sauce and the mayonnaise together in a small bowl. (A whisk is helpful to fully incorporate the mayo.) Cut the turkey pastrami into strips and then into small squares. Place the shredded sweet potato in a small bowl and mix with 2 tsp olive oil and a pinch of salt. Mix glaze ingredients together in another small bowl.

You might want to microwave for 30 seconds so it’s well mixed. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Smear each dough disc with sauce, top evenly with turkey, and sprinkle shredded sweet potato on top. Drizzle glaze over all. Bake for 20 minutes or until done.

Tip: When adding flour to a dough, always start with the lesser amount. Depending on the temperature in your kitchen and other factors, you might have to add more.

Note: I froze these already baked. The result was quite satisfactory, although the sweet potato was a little moist.

Triangular Chocolate Almond Crisps 

In keeping with the Purim motif, the base for this dessert is a triangular crispy and chewy chocolate cookie. I topped it with a coconut-pineapple sorbet because fruit and chocolate is always a winning pair. The hot fudge, made with coconut cream, was the perfect complement for this elegant dessert. 

SERVES 24 CRISPS

• ¹⁄₂ cup (1 stick/100 g) trans-fat-free margarine, softened
• ²⁄₃ cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• ¹⁄₂ tsp vanilla extract
• ³⁄₄ cup flour (I used white spelt)
• ¹⁄₄ cup cocoa powder
• ¹⁄₂ tsp baking powder
• ¹⁄₄ tsp salt
• ¹⁄₂ cup sliced almonds

FOR SERVING

• 1 pint fruit sorbet (I used La Frutta Coconut Pineapple Sorbet with pineapple pieces)
• 1 13.5-oz (400-ml) can coconut cream(not coconut milk)
• 1 12-oz (340-g) pkg chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a 9x13-inch (20x30-cm) baking pan with parchment paper. In the bowl of your mixer, beat the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until well combined.

Add flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt and mix until well blended. Using a wet spatula, spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. You might need to wet it more than once, as the batter is thick and doesn’t spread that easily.

Sprinkle sliced almonds over the top and press gently into batter.

Bake for 15 minutes. Cut into 12 large squares and then cut each square in half to form triangles. These can be made in advance and frozen. To make the fudge, melt together the coconut cream and the chocolate in the microwave at 30-second intervals until completely melted. This can be frozen until using. When ready to use, warm (on top of a Crock-pot, for example) so it has the consistency of fudge and pours easily.

To assemble: Place a cookie on a plate. Top with a small scoop of sorbet. Fudge can be served in a small schnapps cup on the side of the plate or poured over the sorbet right before serving.

Note: You can sub candied pecans for the almonds if desired.

(Originally featured in Family Table, Issue 681)