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

Strawberry “Cashtella” Galette

For my very first #Choctoberfest post I decided to incorporate my new-found favorite “health” food – CASHEW BUTTER. It was but one short month ago I blended up my very first batch…

Since Nutella^® is made with ground hazelnuts, I figured it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to recreate it with ground cashews… In order to save time, I ground my cashew butter at the store, but their machine didn’t get it anywhere near as smooth as the Blendtec^®. That means the final product was much granier than intended, but none of my test subjects minded, at all !

 

Needing to make a dent in my 25# bag of Bob’s Red Mill^® Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour , I decided to try my hand at a gluten-free pie crust.

If you wish for a sweeter crust (the filling was sweet enough for us!) you can add one tablespoon sugar. You could also do an egg wash prior to baking, but I knew that this flour mixture would brown nicely on its own at this temperature.

After the dough chilled for about an hour, I rolled it out on parchment paper. I spread about a cup of “Cashtella” around the center (make it as thick or thin as you desire) then added a cup of strawberry jam on top of that.(Tried to) gently fold up the edges of the pastry and baked in a preheated 350° oven for about 20 minutes.

The crust was amazingly flaky (as far as gf items go…)Unfortunately, when it came time to serve our galette, “all” I could find to top it was Chocolate Fudge Ribbon ice cream…

 

Come back by tomorrow because I’ve made you a chocolate cake with very little effort, but GIGANTIC flavor! And be sure to enter the sponsors’ giveaway. In the meantime, you should probably check out the recipes in the #Choctoberfest linky down there ↓

An InLinkz Link-up

Pink Lady® Rose Tarts

The September ingredients for the #ImprovCookingChallenge are apples & oatmeal. Yea! Now I can try a recipe I’ve been drooling over for years.

I chose Pink Lady® apples so that the flesh would impart a nice tinge on the “rose petals”…

First thing I had to do was to transform the oatmeal into a flour. That was accomplished in about 50 seconds with my Blendtec.

I made my tart dough and let it set for a bit while I prepared the apples. (I sliced them nice & thin with the mandoline.) I rolled out the pastry & cut out rounds to fit my muffin tin. Rolling up the petals was a pretty slick job; I had a little difficulty transferring them neatly to the pastry.Mmmmmmmmm, they smelled so lovely whilst baking…Delicious!Here are the recipes:

Check out what my Improv friends did with their apples & oatmeal:

An InLinkz Link-up