This is a recipe I came up with… for a small bite dessert for Easter or Spring!  The pastry puffs can be made in advance prior to an RV camping trip, frozen… adding the filling to the pastry puffs when you are ready to serve the dessert.

The pastry shells could certainly be adapted and used for other purposes including: mini appetizer or other dessert fillings… handy for having on hand in the freezer for Potluck get togethers.

If you have a convection oven in your RV, you can even bake the cream puff shells in your convection or toaster oven.

Cream Puff Shells Ingredients

4 oz ( 1 stick)   butter

1 cup               water

1/4 tsp             salt

1 cup              all-purpose flour

4 – 5                eggs, depending on the size

Filling Ingredients

1/2 cup            lemon juice

1 1/2 cups       organic sugar

zest                 of 2 lemons

4 oz                 butter

1/8 tsp             sea salt

4 – 5                eggs (depending on size)

Directions for cream puff pastry

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. In a medium saucepan add a stick (4 oz) of butter and 1 cup of water.  Bring the mixture to a boil.
3. Add the flour and salt and turn heat to medium/low and stir the dough with a wooden spoon until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan. Dough will form a roughly shaped ball.  Take the saucepan off the heat.
4. Stir in eggs 1 at a time stirring after each egg is added and well combined with the dough.
5. Drop dough in heaping teaspoons onto an ungreased baking sheet or mini muffin pan.
6. Bake the puff pastry for 20 minutes or cooked through.  Let puff pastry shells cool.
7. Store pastry shells in a ziplock bag.
8.  When ready to serve the dessert, cut the top 1/4th of the puff pastry off and set aside.  Fill bottom portion of each shell with the lemon curd or other filling as desired.

Directions for lemon curd filling:

1.  In a medium bowl, using a hand mixer, cream a stick of butter until fluffy, add sugar and mix again until well blended.

2. Add eggs 1 at a time stirring to combine.

3.  Rinse lemons, pat dry.  Zest 2 lemons, add the zest and juice to the egg mixture.

4.  Place a medium saucepan on the stove.  Add the lemon curd mixture to the saucepan, turn the heat to medium and  whisk the lemon curd until the curd thickens at approximately 170 degrees.  Take lemon curd off heat and cover.

5.  When the lemon curd cools to room temperature, place the covered pan with lemon curd in the refrigerator.

7.  When ready to serve the dessert, cut the top 1/4 of each baked pastry puff off and set aside. Add a heaping teaspoon of lemon          curd to the center of each puff pastry base and garnish with a raspberry or jelly beans and the puff pastry top… or place the pastry top on the side of each dish next to the filled pastry base.

My cookbook Small Kitchen Big Flavors! is available at a great Introductory Price on Ebay and my blog site at : http:/smallkitchenbigflavorsblog.wordpress.com

If you are in the Central Coast area on Sunday afternoon February 10, 2019, stop in at Morovino Winery and say “Hi!”.  I will have my NEW release cookbook Small Kitchen Big Flavors! available and will include a gift with purchase!

~ Chef MJ

You may not have heard of the sleepy town of Quartzsite, but come January, it’s a hot spot for RVers and campers of all stripes. In fact, according to the Arizona Highway Department, as many as a million people — most of whom were in RVs — descended on Quartzsite last January to enjoy this yearly motorhome show.

In other words, you don’t want to miss it. Here’s why — and all the details you need to know about how and when to get there.

Why You’ll Love The Quartzsite Sports, Vacation & RV Show

The Quartzsite camper and RV show has so much to offer, but there’s one detail that stands out among all the rest when it comes to reasons you’ll love this expo.

It’s TOTALLY FREE TO ENTER for the public. That’s right — you won’t pay a dime to get in, or even just to park!

But even if you did have to pay to get in, you’d probably want to. The Quartzsite travel trailer show doesn’t just take place over a weekend, but a whole week. And not only is it the largest RV show in Arizona, but it’s actually billed as the “Largest Gathering of RVers in the World!” It’s been held annually since 1984, and in those thirty years, the organization has learned a thing or two about hosting a fantastic camper show.

Stop by the bookstore in Quartsite to say “hi” and pick up a copy of my NEW release cookbook Small Kitchen Big Flavors!  January 20 – Jan 23 2019.  You will receive a gift with purchase and a signed copy of my full color cookbook with 105 recipes for delicious leisure camping meals and snacks, wine and beer pairing, informative chapters on make ahead meals, stocking an RV pantry, tips on how to make your food look it’s best even when camping, how to’s for cooking at high altitude and more….

~ Chef MJ

Morovino Winery Tasting Room is hosting a book signing for my new cookbook Small Kitchen Big Flavors!  on Sunday February 10, 2019 from 1 pm – 3 pm.

If you are in the Central Coast of California on February 10th, stop on by Morovino in the heart of Avila Beach, CA.  Andrea and David produce excellent wines and their small boutique winery is one that Jeff and I enjoy.

The cookbook will be offered to you at a 20% discount from the cover price and I will personally sign the cookbooks.  The book is in full color and perfect bound and has been selling briskly in the first 5 weeks it has been available!

The cookbook is also available on this site under the ‘cookbook’ category on the main page and also on Ebay.

Cheers,

~ Chef MJ

Small Kitchen Big Flavors has sales that are sky rocketing.  Over 240 copies of this NEW release cookbook have been sold in just the first 8 days!  The book is currently available at a low Introductory offer and holiday wrap and author signing is included.

In addition to friends, family and recipe followers and RV enthusiasts, RV dealerships, private bookstores, wine tasting rooms and even the local hospital gift shop have jumped on this NEW release.

Consider ordering a copy for friends, family and a copy for yourself.  There are 105 recipes of easy to prepared meals and snacks that will assist anyone with a small kitchen as they cook up some great recipes in advance or while on a camping adventure… or new ideas and flavors to enjoy while at home.

Here a few of the reviews:

“Your cookbook arrived today…luv it.  Very easy to read and understand… you done good.  thank you.”  Pat R. Washington state.

“My book arrived today, love it!”  Janet M. Michigan

“Super Idea!  Every RV dealership should order a good supply of these and give them to their customers.”  Mike W. Michigan

“Congrats, ordered mine!”  Pam O. New York

” I just received my book and I’m thrilled with it”  Jill R. C. Washington

“We received your book!  We love it!  Joe and JoAnn R. Virginia

“Your book arrived quickly and was wrapped excellently!”  Jon T. California

Click on the cookbook tab for more information!

~Chef MJ