Strawberry Jalapeno Crostata
Jalapeños are the most popular chile peppers in the US. This is probably due to the availability and versatility of the chile. Jalapeños have a balanced combination of flavor and heat. The demand for these have caused breeders to develop a broad range of varieties.
Ingredients:
For crust (adapted from Joy the Baker):
6 ounces (1 1/4 cup) all purpose flour
4 ounces (1 stick) cold, unsalted butter
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup buttermilk
For Mixture:
1 pound strawberries
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 medium to large jalapeno
Instructions:
1) Prepare your crust by first putting all of your dry ingredients in a bowl and placing it in the freezer.
2) Cut up your butter into small pieces, add to the dry ingredients and let sit in the freezer for another few minutes.
3) Once your ingredients are nice and cold, place them into a food processor and pulse a couple times. Once the butter is full coated, transfer the mixture to a large bowl and let sit in the fridge for about 10 minutes.
4) Make a well in the middle of the butter/ flour mixture and dump all of the COLD buttermilk in. Mix and mix until the flour and butter are fully mixed with the buttermilk and there are no more clumps. You can add a splash more buttermilk if necessary.
5) Form all of the dough into a ball (it will be rough but this is normal) and place in the fridge for at least an hour.
6) Hull the strawberries and place them in a medium bowl and coat with the sugar. You can add a bit more sugar if you so please (or a bit less).
7) Add the cornstarch, vanilla extract, and lemon juice to the berries and mix thoroughly. Pour out any excess juice from the bowl and set aside.
8) Dice up your desired amount of jalapeno into small pieces and set aside.
9) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
10) Once your dough has rested long enough, roll it out into about a 12 inch circle and brush the center of the dough with an egg wash. Leave about 1.5 inches around the edges clean.
11) Dump all of your strawberries into the center of the crust and arrange as desired.
12) Sprinkle your desired amount of jalapeno over the top of the berries.
13) Fold the sides all the way around (pictures above) and brush the edges of the crostata with an egg wash.
14) Bake at 400 degrees for 25-35 minutes.