Puffy Pastrami Party Squares Recipe

This is the recipe I made for the Bus Tour Challenge on Food Network Star. Fluffy puff pastry stuffed with delicious pastrami from Katz' Deli; the spread with Katz' homemade pickles and pickle juice is what really gives it the special kick.

Puffy Pastrami Party Squares

Ingredients

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 box frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package directions but still chilled
1 shallot

1 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup stone ground mustard

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon white pepper

1 tablespoon pickle juice (or substitute white wine vinegar)

2 dill or sour pickles, minced

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (half stick of butter)

½ pound quality pastrami, roughly chopped
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 egg

1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon caraway seed, crushed

Method

Preheat oven to temperature listed on puff pasty package directions.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly dust the counter with flour and unroll one of the pastry sheets. Lightly roll out pastry to a square or rectangle shape to fit your baking sheet. Carefully transfer to the sheet.

Put shallot and pickles in the food processor and pulse until minced. Add butter, mustards, turmeric, salt, pepper, pickle juice and blend until you have a smooth but slightly chunky mixture. Spread the mixture over the bottom of the pastry sheet and top with pastrami and cheese leaving a ¼-inch border around the edge. Whisk the egg and water together in a bowl and brush the edge of the bottom pastry with the egg wash.

Roll out the other pastry sheet and place directly over the filled crust. Press the edges together to seal. Brush the top with the egg wash. Sprinkle top with the caraway seeds. Make five small slits in top of pastry to vent while baking. Bake according to package directions for a filled pastry, making sure pastry is cooked through and golden brown. Let sit for 10 minutes before slicing.  

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Simple Summer Fun: Host a Food Festival in Your Own Backyard!

Check out my ideas for simple summer entertaining from Talk of the Town in Nashville... I suggested a summer food festival right in your own backyard complete with food stations, games, a parade... simple summer fun. Our party theme was a Peach Festival with Chilton County peaches from my great state of Alabama but you can also center the party around your summer favorite: tomatoes, watermelon, blueberries, BBQ, ice cream... you name it!

GET THE RECIPES:

FRESH PEACH TARTS

FRESH PEACH SANGRIA

FOR SUMMER FOOD FESTIVALS, RECIPES AND GREAT ALABAMA FOOD CHECK OUT THE YEAR OF ALABAMA FOOD... LOTS OF GREAT FOOD FROM MY HOME STATE!

FOLLOW ME ON MY QUEST TO BECOME FOOD NETWORK STAR!

Weekend Cocktail: Fresh Peach Sangria

It is a big weekend for me with the premier of Food Network Star so I wanted to make a signature drink to celebrate that not only was delicious, but represented my culinary point of view. You are going to hear a lot about that as the show goes on week to week. This recipe is not only delicious, it is inexpensive to serve for a large party. And it tastes as good as it looks! The best thing of all is that I made it with the best peaches in the world; fresh Chilton County Peaches from my home state of Alabama... ask for them at your store or farmer's market!

FRESH PEACH SANGRIA

Serves 6-8

5-6 peaches, peeled and sliced

1 cup vodka (if you use peach vodka, omit the peach nectar)

1/2 cup peach brandy

2 tablespoons sugar

1 cup peach nectar (find it in the International aisle)

1 bottle chilled white wine or Prosecco

Club Soda, chilled (omit if you are using Prosecco)

Reserve 2 peaches for later. Muddle the remaining sliced peaches with the sugar in a large pitcher to release the juice. Add the vodka and brandy. Allow to sit for 1-2 hours. Crush to a puree with a wooden spoon or use an immersion blender to make into a puree. If you like, strain the puree before adding the remaining ingredients. I happen to like the pulp. Add the peach nectar, remaining peach slices, and white wine. Chill well. You can serve this immediately but it's even better if it has a chance to sit for a while so the flavors can develop. I like to chill it for at least 2 hours before serving. Top with club soda to taste at serving if you are using white wine. Omit the club soda if you are using Prosecco.   

Have a great weekend!!

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Alton Brown Makes Bananas Foster on GMA; Promotes New Season of Food Network Star

Excited to see myself smiling in a quick clip of Food Network Star during Alton Brown's appearance this morning on Good Morning America. He talked about having us make this dish with him during the casting process for the show. I did a lot better with lighting the bourbon than George Stephanopoulos did as he tried to flambé this morning:)

FOOD NETWORK STAR AIRS SUNDAY NIGHTS MAY 13 - JULY 22 AT 9PM EASTERN/8 PM CENTRAL

VOTE FOR ME FOR FAN FAVORITE!

Fresh Peach Tarts

Peach season is just weeks away and there is nothing I love more than peach cobbler. My mom used to make them almost every day in the summer. Since I don't always need a whole cobbler or pie, here's a way you can make just the number you need. Don't be afraid of making pastry crust. This one is super fast, super simple and it is just about no-fail. There is hardly any way to make it wrong; it is always flaky, buttery, and so delicious! Use it with any fruit but reduce the amount of butter in the filling if your fruit is really juicy. You can easily double the recipe if you want to make a larger amount and you can make the tarts as large or small as you like.

FRESH PEACH TARTS

Makes 2-3 tarts

For the pastry:

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons granulated or superfine sugar plus 1 teaspoon reserved

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 pound (1 stick) very cold unsalted butter, diced

2 tablespoons ice water plus a few drops (you may need a few drops more if the dough seems a bit dry)

For the filling:

1 1/2 pounds fresh peaches, sliced (4-5 medium peaches, overly ripened peaches can be a bit too juicy so just ripe peaches actually work best)

1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest

1 teaspoon fresh orange juice or substitute Grand Marnier or orange liqueur

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced into small pieces

1 tablespoon orange marmalade, heated for a finishing glaze

Egg Wash (optional)

1 egg, beaten with a teaspoon of water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

For the pastry, place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine the dry ingredients. Add the butter, a little at a time, pulsing between additions until the butter is the size of peas. Then, turn the food processor on and add the ice water all at once through the feed tube; stop the machine just before the dough becomes a solid mass. Turn the dough out onto a piece of floured plastic wrap. Just make it into a round, don’t over work the dough because it will be tough. Wrap the round with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour.

When you are ready to make the tarts, lightly flour your work surface and your rolling pin. Roll the dough into a 12-inch circle. Use a biscuit cutter or a knife to cut 2-3 smaller circles. I like to use a small saucer as a guide and cut around it. Wrap it over the rolling pin and transfer it to a baking sheet.

For the filling, peel and cut the peaches. I like the look of slices- I usually slice a medium peach into 8-12 slices. Put the peaches in a bowl and toss with the orange zest and orange juice or orange liqueur.  Next, add the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and allspice. Add the cold butter. Mix all of the ingredients together until the peaches are well coated. Spoon the peaches onto the crust, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border all the way around.  Gently fold the border over the peaches to enclose the dough, pleating it to make a circle. Finish the crust with the egg wash using a pastry brush. Simply beat the egg well and lightly brush it over the crust before baking. Sprinkle with the reserved sugar.

Bake the tarts for 20-22 minutes, until the crust is golden and the peaches are tender.

Make a finishing glaze by putting a teaspoon of orange marmalade and a few drops of water in a heat-proof bowl and microwave for a few seconds. Lightly brush the top of the peaches with the orange marmalade. Allow to cool slightly before cutting. 

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