pizza-tart

today's project is a recipe for pizza-tarts or pizza pop tarts.

i really don't know where i got the idea from originally. i just remember wanting to make some sort of pop tart or rectangular calzone. one of the inspirations for this recipe is the pepperoni pop tart from kirbie's cravings.

{i'm not really going to follow the original recipe, but just use the picture for inspiration.}

➳ RECIPE

>>>> INGREDIENTS
the original recipe calls for:

            ◎ pizza dough [i used this recipe]
            ◎ pizza sauce [i used this recipe]
            ◎ mushroom
            ◎ sliced turkey
            ◎ shredded cheese [i used american shredded pizza cheese]
            ◎ sliced cheese [i used pepper jack cheese with jalapeno]

>>>>ASSEMBLY
the first thing i did was to gather all the ingredients, especially the dough. i used the same dough i made yesterday; i had just stored the remaining dough in a ziploc bag and refrigerated it.

{TIP : it's alright to start right away without having to wait for the dough to warm up... by the time the "tart" is ready to be baked, it will have warmed up.}


next it was time to roll out the dough. i was going to make 3 different types of tarts so i took out the dough from the ziploc bag and tore a small piece off before rolling it out thinly.





then it was time to cut the dough into a rectangular format. i used a knife to mark and cut the dough.

{TIP : a serrated butter knife works great to mark the dough, just press the edge against the dough. it also makes it easier to cut.}

{TIP : if you want to mark the dough but do not have a serrated butter knife, roll the tip of your nail to mark the dough.}





i then scrunched up the extra dough and rolled it out again thinly before cutting out a similar sized rectangle from the rolled dough.







after buttering the rectangles, i then added the sauce; first came the tomato sauce, then the spices.




then came the toppings~ i decided to use one mushroom for all three tarts. so i cut part of the mushroom and, after sprinkling some shredded cheese on top of the sauce, i placed the mushroom pieces on top. i tore a third of the sliced cheese and placed it on top of the mushrooms. then i added a slice of turkey and topped that off with shredded cheese.










it was time to finish up the tart. so i draped the other rectangular piece of dough, butter side down, on top of the rest of the tart. i then sealed the tart by pinching and smushing the dough together. since i had assembled the tart on the cutting board, i had to peel it off the board slowly to make sure that the dough didn't tear. i put it on a foiled and greased baking rack.





time for the next one~ i started with two pieces of dough this time. i wanted to try a thicker tart... i usually roll the tart dough extremely thin. so i rolled them out and cut them out. i wanted to try to make some holes on the top for this tart. so on one of the rectangles, i used the tip of the knife and sliced some small slits. afterwards, i greased them with butter. [i decided to assemble the tart on the rack to begin with so that i wouldn't have to peel them off the board.]










then it was time for sauce and toppings.









after i added the toppings, i then draped the rectangular dough with the slits, butter side down, on top of them and pinched and smushed the edges together to seal the tart.


and for the final tart!

i tore off a small piece of dough and rolled it out. after cutting out a rectangle from the dough, i set aside the dough scraps. placing the rectangle on the rack, i buttered it up and added the sauce and toppings.



















now for the top of the tart. for this tart, i cut out strips from the scraps of dough and laid them on top of the tart in a crisscross manner. i pinched the scraps against the bottom of the tart to attach them together.









>>>>BAKING
i baked the tarts in the toaster oven at 425° F for 15 minutes. and when they were done, took them out.










➳ FINAL PRODUCT >>>>THINGS I WOULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY
i would have buttered the dough and spread the sauce on a flat surface and then placed it on the rack before adding the toppings. even better yet, i would have done it on a tray instead of a rack. also, i might want to try to place it on the bottom slot of the toaster oven next time... maybe that way it wouldn't be so moist on the bottom of some of the tarts.






so what do you think? would you like to try a pizza tart?

➳ OTHER MUSINGS >>>>MIKA AND SHELBY
my mom and me have a cat [mika] and a dog [shelby]. today shelby had an upset stomach so i kinda made her stay in her pen so that she could get some rest.

as a result, mika was lonely and just wanted to play... when i went to water the grass, there was mika at the glass door meowing that she either wanted to go outside or for me to come back in. {this is actually amazing since when we first got mika, she was terrified of being outside, even when we were holding her really tight and comforting her.}

so i turned on the tap and opened the sliding door. and that's when she made her escape. usually she moves back when i come inside, but today she jumped over my foot and set off walking like she owned the backyard.

needless to say, her little escapade was cut short when i picked her up a couple of steps later, but despite her little protesting meows, i think she was pretty proud that she had gotten to spend some time outside.

so mom if you are reading this... i'm sorry, i've created a monster...