Lemon Cheesecake Puffs

 Yep another puff!!! Made these for a little weekend get together with friends and they were an instant hit! No process pics but nearly the same as my past 2 so feel free to go to either of those if you need some visual help.

I made enough for 12 so I am including the full recipe, totally easy to half it if you don't need that many!

Another idea I am going to make next time, adding 1 tsp lemon extract to the cream cheese mix in place of the vanilla, and adding fresh strawberry slices under the lemon curd!

2 sheets puff pastry, thawed

Cream Cheese filling:

2 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

Lemon Curd:

2 egg yolks

1 whole egg

2/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (fresh is important, bottled just doesn't do it justice)

6 TB salted butter, cut into small cubes

* add 1/8 tsp salt if using unsalted

1 TB lemon zest

Make the curd first to allow for cooling time:

In a double boiler bring a few inches of water to a boil, reduce to a simmer. 

In the top pot add egg, yolks, egg, sugar and lemon juice. Whisk well. Continue to heat and whisk until very thick. (you can turn the heat up slightly if this seems to be VERY slow going)

Remove from heat and whisk in butter until it is all melted. Set aside and allow to cool completely.

Puff Pastry:

Preheat oven to 400, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Unfold each sheet, cut on the fold lines then across the entire sheet to make a total of 12 rectangles.

Place the dough, not touching, on the baking sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes and rotate pans in the oven, bake 5-7 minutes more until they are nice and golden brown.

Cool completely

Cheesecake Filling:

In a mixing bowl beat the softened cream cheese and sugar until no lumps remain. Add in sour cream and vanilla and beat until incorporated.

Assembly:

Gently pull each puff pastry apart like a hamburger bun, add a good scoop of the cheesecake filling and top with lemon curd. Replace tops and gently sprinkle with powdered sugar to finish!

Best enjoyed immediately but if you need to store them for a bit, cover loosely with plastic wrap and store in the fridge

Carne Asada Taco Casserole or Eggrolls added 12/01/21

 I adapted this from Mr TacosWay Carne Asada Tacos.  They were absolutely delicious but I wanted to  make it into a casserole for easier serving. I know their video got a lot of flak about the smooth/watery guac and the heavy salt content. I did majorly adjust the salt content but the smooth guac is super yummy with far less water!

I think this would be delicious with chicken too!

I made these into eggrolls now too....instructions at the bottom...

Or just regular street tacos too....these with mission flour street taco tortillas...a little meat, guac, red sauce, onion, cilantro and cheeses... heated on a griddle until browned and crisp! 

16 corn tortillas, sliced into quarters( I used Missoni, Extra Thin)

1 lb steak, sliced thin then chopped into bite sized pieces (authentic CA uses skirt of flank but in all reality you can use any cut of steak you prefer)

Marinade:

1 TB taco seasoning (roughly 1/2 this recipe)

2 TB lime juice

1/4 cup orange juice

2 cloves garlic

1 TB avocado oil

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup sweet onion

 1 bunch chopped fresh cilantro 

6 oz monterey jack cheese, shredded

1/2 cup cotija, shredded (Asiago is a great sub if cotija is not available)

Guac:

4 ripe avocados

2 serrano peppers, seeds removed

1 TB chopped cilantro

3 cloves garlic

1 TB lime juice

salt to taste

Red Sauce:

4 large tomatillos, husked and sliced in quarters

1 good size Roma tomato, sliced in quarters

15 dried red chiles (I used chile arbol), seeds removed 

2 cloves garlic

2 cups water

salt to taste

Toss your steak pieces with the taco seasoning, juices, garlic and oil. Allow to mingle for at least 15 minutes.

Heat a pan over medium high heat, add steak and cook until very little pink remains. 

Set aside

Red Sauce:

Place 2 cups water and the tomatillos and tomato over medium high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer for 20 minutes, until the fruits are soft.

Strain out the fruit and save the liquid. In a high powered blender place softened fruits, dried chiles and garlic. Pulse to start breaking it up. Add water to get a good sauce and blend until totally smooth. You may or may not need ALL the water, you want it somewhat thin but not watery. Add salt to taste. 

* as you can see in this pic, I added my liquid first, don't do that. It is better to help with thickness control.

You want a good 2 cups of sauce so you can adjust from there too. Also if it seems too thin, put it back on the heat, mix 2 TB cornstarch and 2 TB cold water, whisk into hot sauce and heat until thickened.

Set aside.

Guac:

Place the 4 avocados in a high power blender (remove skin and seed first 😁 ) along with serrano pepper, cilantro and lime juice. Blend on high speed until totally pureed. Add  water to thin a little further, you want it to drizzle/spread well but not TOO thin. Add salt to taste.

Assembly:

Place about 1/3 cup red sauce at the bottom of a 8 X 11 baking dish. 

Place quartered tortillas to cover the bottom, add 1/2 the steak, 1/2 the onions, 1/2 the Monterey jack cheese, and about 1/3 of the cilantro. Drizzle with about 1/3-1/2 cup red sauce and spread 1/2 of the guac. 

Another layer of tortillas, layer with remaining steak, onions and cheese, another 1/3 cilantro, another  1/3 to 1/2 cup red sauce and more guac to taste (I saved about 1/3 cup for topping). Last layer of tortillas, cover with remaining sauce, cilantro and shredded cotija.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 45 minutes, uncover and bake 15 minutes more.

Remove from oven, recover loosely with foil and allow to set for 15 minutes.

Slice and top with a dollop of sour cream and some more guac.

This is pretty spicy as is but you could even add a few slices of fresh jalapeno if you like!

For Egg Rolls:

Get the meat marinated and cooked and the guac and red sauce made as directed above

Drain the meat and allow to cool. Add about 1/2 the red sauce and 1/2 the guac and mix well. Add, onion, cilantro and cheeses and toss gently. Chill well. Put approx 3 TB filling on an eggroll wrapper, brush edges with a little water, fold bottom corner up, and tuck snuggly, fold in the 2 side corners then roll to the top and press to seal......repeat with remaining filling. I did mine in an airfryer brushed with avocado oil for 5 minute, flip and 5 minutes more.......serve with remaining red sauce, guac and some sour cream!!!

Disclaimer just because I have gotten "authentic" comments in the past.....I don't claim this as anywhere near authentic CA....I just found a recipe I liked and modified it. If something seems off to you please feel free to modify it and let me know what you liked!