Category: Black Pepper

Chicken and Mushroom Puff Pastry Bites

These make a great appetizer or meal full of savory flavors.

Chicken and Mushroom Puff Pastry Bites

Ingredients

  • 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
  • 1/4 c. garlic, minced
  • 1/2 c. shallots, minced
  • 2 c. button mushrooms, minced
  • 2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 tsp. black pepper
  • 2 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
  • 1/2 tsp. mustard powder
  • 1 tsp. hot sauce
  • 1/2 c. salted butter, divided use
  • 2 tbs. all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 c. vegetable stock
  • 2 c. half and half
  • 1/4 c. fresh parsley, minced
  • 1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
  • Two 17.3 oz. Boxes prepared Puff pastry
  • 1 tbs. dried parsley
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder

Yields Approximately 2 Dozen Bites

Sauteed Vegetables

Melt 2 oz. of butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Season the chicken with the salt, pepper, rosemary, mustard powder, and hot sauce. Saute the chicken until cooked through. Set chicken aside. Melt an additional 1 oz. of butter in the skillet and saute the garlic, shallots, and mushrooms until tender and fragrant. Stir vegetables and chicken together and set aside.

Melt 2 oz. of butter in the skillet. Add the flour and stir to form roux. Cook roux until toasted and smells nutty. Add the vegetable stock and stir the roux into it. Add the half-and-half and cook the sauce until thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Add the fresh parsley and the parmesan cheese. Remove from heat. Mix the sauce with the chicken. Set aside.

Sauce

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease muffin tins. Melt the remaining butter and mix with the dried parsley and garlic powder. Break each box of Puff pastry into 12 rectangles. Place each rectangle of puff pastry into each cavity. Spoon filling into each cavity and pinch the puff pastry to seal the bite. Brush each bite with the melted butter mixture.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the puff pastry is cooked through and golden brown.

Pumpkin Gingersnaps

These cookies are extra tender from the pumpkin.

Pumpkin Gingersnaps

Ingredients

  • 1 c. salted butter, softened
  • 1/2 c. granulated sugar
  • 1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/4 c. black strap molasses
  • 1/2 c. pumpkin puree
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tbs. ground ginger
  • 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
  • 1/8 tsp. ground mace
  • 1/8 tsp. ground cardamom
  • 4 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1 c. turbinado sugar

Yields Approximately 4 Dozen Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl, then add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition. Add the molasses, pumpkin, and vanilla and mix to combine.

In a bowl, sift together the salt, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper, cloves, mace, cardamom, and flour.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in two additions, scraping the bowl after each addition.

Using tablespoon-sized scoops of dough, roll each dough ball in turbinado sugar before placing onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are lightly firm to the touch and golden brown on the bottom.

Gingerbread Simple Syrup

This syrup is perfect for flavoring drinks or soaking cakes.

Gingerbread Simple Syrup

Ingredients

  • 2 c. brown sugar, packed
  • 2 c. water
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1 clove
  • 1 tbs. ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp. ground cardamom
  • 1/16 tsp. ground mace
  • 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Combine ingredients in a sauce pan. Heat over medium heat. Stir frequently and cook until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow syrup to cool completely before using.