Strawberry Jalapeno Crostata

This recipe is a "lets see what we can throw together without having to make a trip to the market". It's simple yet delicious and I ate the heck out of it!

There were 2 things I knew for sure. 1) My jalapeno plant was/ is bursting with peppers ripe for the picking and 2) I was really in the mood for a crostata.

I debated going savory and making this a cheesy crostata concoction, but then I decided against it after realizing I still had fresh strawberries in the fridge that wouldn't last much longer.

Strawberries and Jalapeno Crostata it was then. I consulted the always trustful internet before starting only to find that "Strawberry Jalapeno Crostata" yields zero results. I wasn't sure if that meant this was a super awesome revolutionary idea.....or just a terrible one.

As it turns out, I'm a genius.

I will say: I went a bit heavy on the jalapeno (good thing the variety I'm growing is mild). But we'll fix that for you. Also, this is best served immediately. After sitting overnight, the flavor from the jalapeno grew stronger so if you aren't going to eat it all right away, maybe put a bit less jalapeno in yours.

Alright, so first we're going to make the crust. I've been using this recipe from Joy the Baker lately and I'm OBSESSED. I cut the recipe in half since I only want the bottom half of a pie crust. Oh, and buttermilk makes all the difference.

Start by putting all of your dry ingredients in a bowl and placing it in the freezer.

Cut your butter up into small pieces and place in the bowl with the dry ingredients and let sit in the freezer for a few more minutes. We want our ingredients COLD.

Joy cuts her butter in with a rolling pin. I use my food processor. You do what you like best.

Pulse a couple times and once the butter is full coated, transfer the mixture to a large bowl and let sit in the fridge for a few minutes.

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. I added a splash more buttermilk to make sure all of the flour was nice and moist.

It's a bit of a challenge but gather all of the dough into one big ball and let it chill in the fridge for a good hour.

While you're waiting, you can get your strawberries and jalapenos ready! After hulling the strawberries, 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). Once the berries are covered in sugar, add the cornstarch, vanilla extract, and lemon juice and mix thoroughly. Pour out any excess juice from the bowl and set aside.

Next, dice up your desired amount of jalapeno. I chopped mine into teeny little pieces.

Once your dough has rested long enough, roll it out into about a 12 inch circle. Don't bother making the circle perfect. It's more rustic this way.

Brush the center of the dough with an egg wash leaving about 1.5 inches around the sides clean. This doesn't need to be precise so don't sweat it too much.

Dump all of your strawberries into the center of the crust. I spent time trying to arrange them all pretty like. I don't recommend this as it still turned out kind of messy looking. But remember: it's rustic.

Sprinkle your jalapeno over top and get to folding the sides. Once again, there's no precise science to this. Rustic. Fold the edges by overlapping the folds. Like so:

Voila! We're almost there!

Brush the edges of the crust with your egg wash and throw that rustic beauty in the oven.

OH, pretty! This crostata is the perfect little party pie and a great way to use up the last bit of those seasonal strawberries. Enjoy :)

Strawberry Jalapeno Crostata
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

Directions:
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 panggangan 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.
Let cool for a few minutes and ENJOY!

And don't forget, this is best served day of.

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