I'm having a 1980s moment. This afternoon I reverted back to my childhood. With the 31st October almost upon us I got to thinking; I haven't always had such a dislike for this time of year. As a child I would relish the chance to organise spook-themed parties for me and my family (yes, it was a small party. Four people to be exact). I would deck the kitchen out with plastic bats and persuade my long-suffering parents to join in with apple bobbing and hands-free donut eating competitions (the connection between this and Halloween? Really not sure). Oh how they loved me. Needless to say, my career in events organising peaked as a 10-year old. But my love of entertaining has stuck with me. Creating and cooking for friends and family still excites me the way it did when my favourite band was Bananarama and I wore a red and purple brace.
So today I was feeling nostalgic and dusted off a few old recipes. Scone-based pizzas (hands-down the most delicious type of base there is) and 'Top Hats' made up a large part of my childhood culinary repertoire. There is no skill whatsoever involved in making the latter. The joy of these marshmallow delights is all in the assembling. And they look very pretty. They won't win any prizes for setting tastebuds alight. However, as my Grandma so cleverly did, it's a recipe to pass down through the generations.
scone-based pizzafor the base
225g self-raising flour
1tsp baking powder
50g margarine
1 egg
125ml milk
for the topping
tomato puree
grated cheddar cheese
your favourite pizza toppings
1. Sieve the flour and baking powder into a large bowl.
2. Add margarine and rub in until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
3. Whisk the egg and the milk together and add to the flour.
4. Mix to a smooth dough and roll out on a floured surface.
5. Spread the tomato puree over the top of the dough.
6. Sprinkle over the cheese and add other toppings (I added mushrooms, caramelised onions, sweetcorn and salami but you may prefer something else!)
7. Bake in the oven at 220C for 20 mins.
