Bacon Cheddar Chowder & Butternut Browned Butter Biscuits

Ever since Nichole announced November's Improv Cooking Challenge pairing was to be WINTER SQUASH & BACON I'd been collecting butternut bacon soup ideas... All through our "fall weather" of 100+° I thought it sounded like an Autumn-appropriate comfort meal. But the idea didn't jive with all the fellas. (I probably coulda snuck it on the table & they'd politely eat it.)
My next plan was to make rolls (they'll eat almost anything with yeast dough wrapped around it) but I remembered I wanted to make a chowder to show off my Portuguese tureen that I never get to use because I'm lazy we not fancy and usually serve soup out of the slow-cooker or from the pot on the stove.

But... because the hubster ended his work day an hour and a half across town, & the middle fella had a drum lesson after classes, we ended up dishing our soup out of the crocker & snatching the biscuits off the hot baking sheet. {{heavy sigh}}
I love that my slow-cooker made the chowder while I was fussing about with other concerns of the day. And while I'd planned on creating a biscuit with almond flour, I decided to just adapt Bob's recipe on the bag of his Red Mill® Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. Best decision, ever!

I roasted the butternut halves with a bit of bacon drippings brushed over the cut surfaces... Oh, my!
So, here you go:

BROWNED BUTTER BUTTERNUT BISCUITS

 ½ c. butter
 2½ c. Bob’s Red Mill® Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
1 T. grass-fed gelatin
½ t. sea salt
2½ t. baking powder
½ t. baking soda
1 c. diced roasted butternut
2 eggs
¾ c. buttermilk

Brown the butter over medium heat until it smells like caramel without the sweet. 

Chill to firm.In a large bowl whisk the dry ingredients.Add chilled browned butter (cut into small pieces) and use pastry blender to disperse.

Carefully stir in squash.

Mix eggs and buttermilk. Pour over biscuit mix and gently stir to make dough.Roll to 1” thickness between plastic wrap. Cut with 3” circle cutter and place on parchment.

Brush tops of biscuits with a bit of buttermilk.

Bake in pre-heated 450° oven for 18 minutes, or until tops are golden brown.

Allow to cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes before eating. (If you can wait that long!)

And now for the chowder:

Bacon Chowder

1 lb. bacon

1 small onion

3 ribs celery

3 carrots

6 garlic cloves

1 large head cauliflower

1 quart chicken broth

3 bay leaves

1 t. dried thyme

fresh-ground pepper to taste

2 c. milk

2 T. tapioca starch

2 c. water

1 lb. shredded cheddar cheese

Sauté bacon over medium heat until crisp. Set aside and remove all but a tablespoon of the drippings.

In the same pan make the soffritto by rough chopping & adding the onion, celery & carrots. Mince the garlic and sauté until vegetables are tender.

Cut the cauliflower into florets. Place in crock of slow cooker and add the soffritto, broth & spices.

Cook until the cauliflower is soft.

Mix tapioca starch with the milk and add to crock with the water. Blend with immersion blender until smooth.

Crumble bacon into crock and simmer until chowder has thickened. Stir in cheese a little at a time until smooth.

Serve & enjoy!

Even the youngest fella returned to the crock for a second helping of soup! And my bread connoisseur asked for a repeat batch of the biscuits!

Check out these links to see how the other Improvers used their winter squash & bacon:

An InLinkz Link-up

Snickerdoodle Scones

SUGAR & SPICE is the theme for October's Improv Cooking Challenge. (You can check out Nichole's blog for information if you'd like to participate...)

I've been wanting to make scones with almond flour for some time now. And Snickerdoodle, to me, is the epitome of sugar/spice flavor.

Snickerdoodle Scones (gluten free)

2	c.	almond flour		½	c.	butter, cubed
¼	c.	potato starch
¼	c.	sugar		2	large eggs
½	t.	cream of tartar		2	T.	Greek yogurt
1	t.	baking powder
½	t.	baking soda		2	T.	sugar
¼	t.	salt (I used fine sea salt)		2	t.	cinnamon
½	t.	xanthan gum

Blend all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in the butter. Beat the eggs with the yogurt and stir into the flour mixture.

Form into disk on parchment paper. Chill 10 minutes then slice into 8 wedges. Place in freezer for an hour. Carefully roll wedges in cinnamon sugar mixture & return to parchment with about an inch between each scone. Chill until ready to bake.

Preheat oven & pizza stone to 350°. Slide parchment paper with cold scones onto hot stone and bake for 30 minutes or until done. Let cool then serve with fresh whipped cream and cinnamon sugar leaves.

I was very pleased with how these scones baked up. And I loved how the cream of tartar "tang" was noticeably present in the flavor.

I made the whipped cream without vanilla so that the goodness which is cinnamon & sugar could shine through. mmmmmmmmm!

Fresh whipped cream

1 c. heavy cream

1/3 c. powdered sugar

Beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add sugar and continue to whip until peaks form. Chill.

The cinnamon leaves were a last-minute decision, but I love the little texture they added to the whipped cream. You could also cut them tiny into little chips to sprinkle over the scone & cream.

Cinnamon sugar leaves

1/3 c. sugar

1 T. cinnamon

1 T. avocado oil

1 T. light corn syrup

Mix all ingredients in small bowl. Roll to 1/16^th inch on parchment paper with plastic wrap on top of dough. Bake at 225° for 30 minutes. Let cool, then cut into shapes. (If mixture hardens too much to cut through, return pan to oven to soften slightly.)

My method of scone consumption consists of breaking off a chunk of the lovely biscuit and slathering it with a dollop of whipped cream...

Scrummy!

You can check out my friends' SUGAR & SPICE creations by following the links below:

An InLinkz Link-up

Versunkener Apfelkuchen gluten-free

Because it's been a few years since I'd made an apfel kuchen for my German-loving sons, I thought perhaps something like that would be the perfect recipe to highlight September's #ImprovCookingChallenge ingredients APPLES & HONEY. (The Improv Cooking Challenge is a once-a-month blogger recipe challenge lead by Nichole from Cookaholic Wife. You are welcome to join us for the monthly linky party...)

While googling honey + apfelkuchen I came across "sunken apple and honey cake" by Smitten Kitchen. I thought it looked beautiful and would be easy to adapt to an almond flour recipe to keep it gluten free.

The cake tasted wonderful, according to two of my four taste-testers. (One didn't like the honey flavor and the other dislikes anything that has the "eggy taste")

I thought it perfect for breakfast or brunch!

An InLinkz Link-up

Peach Æbleskiver with Habañero Honey Whisky Glaze

Our August ingredients for the #ImprovCookingChallenge are the unlikely duo of Peaches & Peppers. Usually my go-to with these two ingredients would be a salsa sorta like the one I created here five years ago... But, since my sis handed me down a cast-iron æbleskiver pan, I figured it was about time we tried that out -- making some peach-filled itty-bitty round Danish pancakes/doughnuts.

(The hot-pepper glaze was just a happy little afterthought!) 

If you have never made æbleskiver before, I recommend you try a recipe using regular flour.

Also, I will suggest that having a filling (many cooks serve plain with jam or syrup on the side) makes these more difficult to turn properly. Other than that, these little guys are fun to make & eat.

Let's start with the glaze: Boozed + Infused is where I found the recipe for the Habañero Honey Whisky. It was quite simple to make. 

• 1 habañero pepper, quartered & seeded (unless you want it super hot!)
• 1/4 c. honey
• 1 cinnamon stick
• zest from 1 small lemon
• 1.5 oz. water
• 1 c. whisky

Put the first 5 ingredients in saucepan, simmer on low for 5 minutes. Remove pepper and let the remaining ingredients cool. Strain honey mixture into jar & combine with whisky. Shake once or twice a day for 3 days. Strain through coffee filter into decanter. Let infusion rest a few days before using.

 

 To make the glaze:

• 1 T. butter, melted
• 1 T. Greek yogurt
• 1 c. confectioners sugar
• 1 T. habañero honey whisky

Mix yogurt & melted butter until smooth. Stir in sugar. Whisk in the whisky!

This glaze was amazing! It totally elevated those peach-filled pastries.

Now for that æbleskiver recipe -- the first batch I made with coconut flour, and they weren't bad; we just prefered the ones made from almond flour.

• 1.5 c. almond flour
• 1 T. honey
• 1/2 c. Greek yogurt
• 1/2 c. milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs, separated
• 1 peach - peeled, pitted & finely diced

Separate eggs and whip the whites. Whisk first 5 ingredients and egg yolks together in a bowl until batter is smooth. Gently fold in the whites. Allow batter to stand at least 15 minutes.

Heat (maybe a half teaspoon in each cup) oil in æbleskiver pan over medium heat. Drop about a tablespoon of batter into each cup, top with around a teaspoon of the peaches, then top with another teaspoon of batter.

Cook until bubbles form around the edges, then turn the batter a quarter turn with a chopstick. The wet batter should slide down into the cup while the browned portion rolls upward. Repeat process until the pastries are browned all around.

Makes 24 æbleskiver. 

Now you don't HAVE to enjoy your æbleskiver with a bottle of iced coffee, but I highly recommend it!

OK -- so go check out the links below where my friends share their peaches & peppers recipes:

An InLinkz Link-up

Balsamic Berry Hand Pies

While I do love me some balsamic vinegar on my caprese, I'd never thought to use it in any but savory dishes. When July's #ImprovCookingChallenge ingredient list popped up, I figured I'd pass on this month's entry -- Berries & Balsamic -- yuk!
So I googled berries & balsamic - who knew it was a "thing"?! I figured I'd better try it, just in case the fellas might like it.
I used a mix of blueberries & raspberries.

The filling wasn't quite as bright-colored as I'd hoped, but it sure tasted killer! 

Turns out, balsamic vinegar enhances berry flavors!

I made a gluten-free pie crust and cut rounds.

Added a large dollop of filling, then topped it with a second round.

Since gf pastry doesn't always brown nicely, I brushed the tops with beaten egg & sprinkled sugar over before baking.

The crust was super flake-y and could not contain all the goodness that was the balsamic kissed berries!

So yummy! 

Good to the last crumb!


Here's what I used to make the filling:

• 12 oz. blueberries
• 12 oz. raspberries
• 2 T. balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. cornstarch
• 1/4 c. honey
• 1 T. fresh lime juice

Stir in sauce pan over medium heat until mixture thickens.

Check out these other recipes from my fellow "Improvists" -- you won't be sorry!

An InLinkz Link-up

Strawberry Jalapeño Cornmeal Cream Puffs

So, along with the Pretzel Dogs, I wished to use the jalapeño & cheese #ImprovCookingChallenge ingredients in a dessert. The past few weeks I've seen quite a few recipes featuring strawberries with cornmeal -- shortcakes, muffins, waffles... I wanted to make something gluten free, of course, but desired it a little "fancier" than cornbread. I looked for cornmeal pâte à choux, but consensus seemed to deem that ingredient as too heavy for puffs. I decided to use my successful gf profiteroles recipe from December and just sub in a little cornmeal. IT WORKED! THEY PUFFED!

The texture was what I wanted. Plus, they tasted of cornmeal!

Cornmeal Pâte à choux

1 c. water
½ c. butter (if using unsalted, add a pinch of kosher salt)
¾ c. Bob’s Red Mill® Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour 

¼ c. yellow cornmeal

4 large eggs

(It’s easier to assemble ingredients before starting, because the process goes fast!) Break the eggs into a spouted measuring cup. Preheat oven to 425°. Whisk the flour & cornmeal together. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
Combine the water & butter in a saucepan; bring to a rolling boil.
Remove from heat and add the flour mixture all at once, stirring vigorously.
Transfer the dough to the bowl of a stand mixer, and beat for a couple minutes until it’s cooled to below 125°F.
Beat in the eggs one at a time on medium speed; scrape the bowl after each addition.
After the last egg, beat the dough a couple minutes until it holds a peak.
Scoop about a 2 tablespoon-size portion of batter onto the prepared baking sheets for each puff. (Allow space for the puffs to expand.) This made 12 puffs for me. 
Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°. Bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, until the dough has risen and the pastries are a medium golden brown. (They should sound hollow if you tap them…) Remove the pastries from the oven, make a small slit in the top of each, and return them to the oven for another 5 minutes, to allow the steam to escape.
Transfer the puffs to a rack to cool.
Split each one in half & fill the bottom with a scoop of the jalapeño strawberry mixture then replace the tops. 
Serve immediately!

Now, about that filling:
It actually evolved from what I'd planned, but happened to turn out ever so much better than I thought it would.

First of all I candied fresh jalapeño slices in a piloncillo syrup.

I had found an interesting recipe for strawberry flan from Spain that I adapted for my filling. But here's what I did instead:

• 1 lb. hulled fresh strawberries
• 1 piloncillo cone, chopped
• 1 c. half-and-half
• 4 oz. caramel sirup (see Joy of Cooking pic)
• 6 Eggs
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• finely chopped candied jalapeños, to taste
• 2 T. tequila

(recipe from 1946 Joy of Cooking)

Add first 5 ingredients to blender & chop until smooth.

Pour into sauce pan & cook on medium to 180° (as if you were cooking a custard, so stir frequently...) Cover & chill.

Beat cream cheese & candied jalapeños until creamy. Add a shot of tequila & beat some more. Combine chilled strawberry mixture & beat again. Pour into freezer-safe container & freeze until firm. Scoop & enjoy!

(SOMEBODY has to eat the melty leftovers...)

(Enjoy responsibly! BTW - you don't have to add the tequila, but it just makes the flavor soooooooo much better.)

As always, check out the links to jalapeño & cheese recipes by my friends:

An InLinkz Link-up