Chicken Puff Pastry Caprese

by Jaelyn Penner


Puff Pastry is one of my absolute favorite foods.  The buttery flakiness is addicting... and versatile!  You can make it into a sweet breakfast pastry, fill it with sandwich fixins' for lunch, wrap around a wheel of brie for an amazing appetizer or create multiple puff-pastry-based dishes for a decadent dinner.  Or, as I've done here, you can fix up a simple, delicious and easy dish that your entire family will love!

I've used some simple ingredients in this dish, several of which are a staple in my home.  Fresh basil is easy to grow and great to have on hand.  Pesto is easy to make and freezes well, and is a great way to use all that basil that you grew and didn't have time to eat!  Balsamic vinegar is a wonderful pantry staple - it's perfect to use with olive oil as a fast homemade salad dressing, or to reduce as in this recipe for a sweeter and more complex flavor.

This recipe is based on the traditional Insalata Caprese in Italian cuisine - which literally means "Salad of Capri" or "Salad in the style of Capri."  It revolves around three simple ingredients - fresh mozzarella, basil and tomato.  I've taken that side dish and made it the star of the meal.  I hope you love this as much as my family and I do!
 

Chicken Puff Pastry Caprese

• 2 sheets puff pastry (store bought - found in the freezer section, generally near the pie crusts)
• 3-4 Tbsp fresh pecan pesto (see recipe below - or in a pinch, you can purchase pre-made)
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and pulled apart with a fork
• 9 oz. fresh mozzarella, cut in 1/4" slices
• 3 med. Roma tomatoes
• 1-2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• salt
• fresh ground pepper
• Balsamic reduction (see recipe below)

1.  Thaw puff pastry according to directions on package.  Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

2.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut tomatoes in 1/4" slices.  Salt each side and set aside.  This will draw out extra moisture for better baking.  Pat mozzarella slices with a clean towel to remove extra moisture, lightly salt and set aside.

3.  Remove pastry sheets from the fridge.  Using a rolling pin, roll each sheet to appr. 12x16-inches.  

4.  To assemble:  Place one sheet of puff pastry on parchment-lined flat sheet pan.  Spread 3-4 Tbsp. pesto on the pastry sheet, leaving a 1-inch border.  Stagger mozzarella slices, leaving at least 1/2-inch between slices (see pic).  Add chicken evenly across the top of the cheese and pesto.  Carefully place the 2nd sheet of puff pastry on top.  Score the top sheet appr. 1-inch from border, then press the edges of the two sheets together with a fork.  This will create a nice fluffy perimeter crust.  Poke several vent holes in the top of the pastry with a sharp knife to allow steam to escape while cooking.

Pat dry your tomato slices.  Using the scoring as your new border, stagger the slices on top of the pastry, covering the entire region within the scoring.  Dust with grated parmesan and freshly ground pepper.  Place in oven for 30-40 minutes, or until top of pastry and crusts are golden brown and tomatoes are nicely roasted.

While baking, prepare the Balsamic reduction according to the recipe below.

Cut into 9 pieces and drizzle 1 tsp. of Balsamic reduction over top of each.  Serve with a side of fresh greens. Enjoy!

Pecan Pesto

• 3 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
• 3/4 cup whole pecans, toasted
• 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
• Good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tsp. sea salt

In a food processor, add basil, pecans and garlic.  As the ingredients chop, slowly drizzle olive oil through the feed tube just until a smooth paste is created.  Add the parmesan and blend for 20-30 seconds more, until well combined.  Refrigerate unused pesto, and use or freeze within 5 days.

Balsamic Reduction

• 2 c Balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp honey
• pinch of freshly ground pepper (I prefer white pepper, but you can use whichever type is your favorite)

In small saucepan, heat the vinegar on med heat.  When warm but not boiling, add honey and stir to incorporate.  Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer on med-low until reduced in volume by half.   Add pepper and stir, allow to reduce an additional 10%.  Remove from heat and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes before serving.

Easy Easter Treats - Lemon Cheesecake Easter Eggs

by Jaelyn Penner

The bluebonnets are blooming, the sun is shining and Easter is on its way!
I absolutely love this time of year because of the very things that Easter symbolizes - rebirth, renewal and lots of chocolate (right?).

OK, ok... technically, we could have Easter without chocolate, but that sure would be less delicious.   To show my gratitude for this tasty treat and this special day,  I am sharing with you one of the easiest, yummiest, cutest Easter desserts you can possibly make.  It's perfectly themed and just the right size serving size for your guests.  You can make it from scratch, or you can buy all the ingredients pre-made (or at least nearly made) and put together in a snap!

If you are new to the "Lemon Curd Experience" as I like to call it, be prepared for a party in your mouth!  In curd, the tartness of lemon is combined with decadent butter and eggs for a silky, absolutely heavenly concoction.  Combine it with the creamy cheesecake, chocolate-y shell, and sweet crunch of the graham cracker in this dessert...  just yum.

Lemon Curd from  Williams-Sonoma

Lemon Cheesecake Easter Eggs

makes one dozen eggs with nests

Graham Cracker Nest:

•     2 cups graham cracker crumbs
•     One stick, plus 3 T butter, melted
•     1/3 cup sugar (you can substitute turbinado sugar for white)
•     Pinch of salt

1. Cover a cookie sheet with wax paper.  
2. Mix all ingredients together until well-combined.  
3. Using your hands, shape appr. 2T into round nest with middle indent just large enough for the egg to sit in.  Try to form it so that the egg will remain stable when sitting on the nest.  
4. Place on the cookie sheet. Continue until you have 12, then place nests in the fridge to chill and set.

Cheesecake Eggs:

•     1 Jar of Lemon Curd (you can usually find jars of this in the jelly or baking aisle, or use this recipe from Ina Garten)
•     1 No-Bake Cheesecake (you can buy a Jello brand mix at the store, or use this recipe from Martha Stewart - no need to prepare her crust, only do Step #4.  Don't chill the mixture until you've filled the eggs - see steps below.)
•     Hollow Chocolate Eggs (store purchased)

1. Remove all wrapping from 12 hollow chocolate eggs.  With a warm knife, carefully cut away the top 1/4-1/3 of the egg, leaving the lower portion intact.  This doesn't have to be perfect!  It just has to look like a broken egg and be able to hold enough cheesecake to satisfy your guests. 
2. Mix the cheesecake filling according to directions.  Instead of chilling, fill a pastry bag with the fresh mixture.  Using a large tip, pipe some of the cheesecake filling into each egg, just below the top of the egg.  Leave a small depression for the lemon curd.
3. Place the eggs broken side up in an empty egg carton or back in their own containers and place in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.

 To Assemble and Serve:  

1. Remove the nests and the eggs from the fridge.  Place nest(s) on your serving dish.  
2. Fill a small pastry bag with 1 c. of the lemon curd.  Using a small tip, slowly pipe the lemon curd into the indented spot in the cheesecake, until the curd resembles an egg yolk.  Fill bottom-to-top, do not use a swirling motion.
3. Place the egg on its "nest" and repeat for all eggs.  You can pipe a very small spot of curd onto the nest to help hold the egg in place if desired.
4. Enjoy!

Christmas Morning Crunch!

 aka Dark Chocolate Peppermint Chex Mix

by Jaelyn Penner 

One more recipe for all of you mint-o-holics out there!  OK, I went outside of the “natural, healthy” realm for this treat.  In reality, this recipe has no redeeming nutritional value.  But it’s good!  And, since most of us indulge freely over the Christmas break (which is ok every once in a while!), this becomes, through the magic of Christmas, the perfect Christmas morning snack!  I mean, cereal for breakfast– mint for the morning breath – chocolate for the energy and Christmas cheer – enjoy with a strong coffee for the perfect 6am “mommy-we-just-can’t-wait-to-unwrap-presents” instant perk-up!

You won’t need a ton of this stuff.  It’s heavy on the chocolate and really more of a candy than a “mix.”  But it’s super easy to make and totally worth it for the novelty and decadence.

Ingredients:

5 cups Corn Chex (you can use Rice Chex, but they aren’t as uniformly shaped so won’t look quite as nice)

¾ cup Nestle dark chocolate and mint chips (I believe you can only find these during the holidays– can substitute with same amount of Andes chips, which are available year-round)

¾ cup Nestle semi-sweet chips

1/8 tsp. peppermint extract

Crushed candy cane or other peppermint candy for garnish

How-to:

1.        Put Chex in a large mixing bowl.  Line a baking sheet with foil.

2.       In glass measuring cup, heat the chocolate in the microwave on High for 1 ½ minutes.  Stir thoroughly.  Heat for 1 minute intervals, stirring between, until smooth when stirred. 

3.       Add peppermint extract to the melted chocolate, stir well.

4.       Pour chocolate over Chex and stir to coat, being careful not to break the Chex while stirring.

5.       Pour onto baking sheet in single layer, again, be careful not to break the Chex.  Top with crushed peppermint candy while still warm.

6.       Cool until hard (7 minutes in fridge or 20-30 minutes at room temperature).

7.       Break candy with your hands into desired size chunks, place in gorgeous container, and enjoy!

The Great Pumpkin Pie-tini

by Jaelyn Penner

If you love pumpkin pie, you will adore this drink!  It has an intense pumpkin flavor, with pie-like sweetness and spice.   It would be fantastic served with heavy hors d’oeuvres, or even with just some tasty (pumpkin seed?) crackers to unwind after a long autumn workday!

I love this time of year!  The holiday trifecta:  Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas all in such close proximity makes the last three months of the year a veritable storm of activity, decorating, un-decorating, decorating again, un-decorating again, decorating some more and shopping-shopping-shopping!  But of course, the best parts of all of this madness are the celebrations!!!

What are celebrations but great people, great food, great mood and yummy drinks?  Luckily, two holidays in the Trifecta are autumnal… meaning pumpkin works wonderfully for Halloween as well as Thanksgiving.  And in that spirit (pun intended), I have the perfect beverage for you!

The Great Pumpkin Pie-tini

1/2oz Pumpkin Pie Vodka (unbelievable but true – this flavor was available at my local liquor store.  If you can’t find it, substitute with vanilla vodka)

1 tsp. Pumpkin Butter

1 oz. cold Ginger Beer(available at Cost Plus World Market, or often at health food stores)

3 oz. cold Pumpkin Beer

Dash of Fresh-Ground Nutmeg

Cinnamon Stick for garnish

In shaker, add Vodka and Pumpkin Butter.  Shake well, add ice, shake for another 5 seconds.  Pour liquid only (not ice) into martini glass.  Add Ginger Beer, fill with Pumpkin Beer.  Gently stir.  Using a small grinder and whole nutmeg, grind a dash on top of drink.  Add cinnamon stick for garnish, and enjoy!

Note:  Beverage brands vary widely in taste.  I used a fairly sweet ginger beer by The Ginger People.  If yours isn't as sweet as you would like, you can increase the amount of pumpkin butter in your drink.