Berry Crostata with Cornmeal Crust

One of my favorites to make when I don't have enough berries for a whole pie. I got the idea for the crust from an old Bon Appetit magazine.The cornmeal and orange zest in the crust add texture and flavor that makes for an exciting twist. I used olallieberries from my garden. They are similar to blackberries, but are sweeter and have smaller seeds. You can use any type of berry for this recipe. Sometimes I like to mix a few different types.

Ingredients

Crust:
1 and 2/3 cups all purpose flour 
1/4 cup coarse cornmeal
3 tbs sugar
1 tsp (packed) orange zest
3/4 tsp salt
14 tbs (1 and 3/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter
1/3 cup (or more) ice water

Filling:
1 cup sugar
3 tbs cornstarch
1 tbs fresh lemon juice

For my crust, I used a pastry cutter to mix together my ingredients. However, if you do not have a pastry cutter (or don't feel like using one) you can also use a food processor. 

Mix together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, orange zest, and salt in a large bowl. If you're using a food processor, blend the ingredients. Cut the butter into 1/2 inch cubes and add it to the mixture. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients or blend until the butter is reduced to pea-size pieces. Add 1/3 cup ice water and use a large spoon (I used an ice cream paddle) to mix the dough until it clumps together into one mass. You can also just continue to blend it in the food processor until it clumps. If the dough is not clumping, add an additional 1 teaspoon of ice water. Gather the dough into a ball then flatten it into a disk. Wrap the dough and chill it for at least one hour before baking. The dough can be stored in the fridge for up to a day before baking.

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Gluten Free Vanilla Berry Kale Smoothie

Ingredients:
Kale, washed and torn into pieces, stems removed
1/2 large banana
Berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc)
1 large scoop vanilla gelato (or ice cream)

Instructions:
Fill half of a large dinner plate with kale.  Fill the remaining half of the plate with a large scoop of vanilla gelato and the fruit.   Dump everything into a blender and puree until smooth.  It makes one martini glass full (or one sippy cup....about 8 oz).

Notes: 
I am trying to sneak kale into my son's diet.  This is attempt #1, and honestly, I could just stop right here and make this forever.  Don't be fooled by the blah color....it is amazing!   The thing that surprised me most was how much food was on the plate to start with, vs. the small quantity of smoothie that we ended up with.  I plan to make this over and over again, probably changing up the recipe a little each time.  You can really use whatever you have on hand.  Next time I am going to try chocolate....

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