Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Experiment: Dessert Calzones

Well, since there was so much interest in these I figured I should post about them next. Before we even get started though, I want to make one point: more experiments are clearly needed. While delicious, these things were a disaster. What I had envisioned were two-bite size calzones, full of sweet goodiness, easy to eat with your hands. What I got were sticky, exploded, two-bite size calzones and you needed to take a shower after eating them. They were tasty though. Details? Sure.

I made four different kinds, peanut butter and strawberry jam, peanut butter and chocolate and the same again but with marshmallow. I made them just like a regular calzone, only much smaller. Maybe three inches by five or so. I dolloped the peanut butter on and then the jam or chocolate and then, if it was getting it, half a large marshmallow. Then I sealed them up, with varying amounts of visual appeal. Brushed them with melted butter and sprinkled them with sugar. Then I baked them like regular calzones, 500 degrees on parchment (if they explode it doesn't get all over your stone). This is what the ones without marshmallow looked like. Sort of, sorry about the pic. I'm sure most of you see at least one problem here. The vent I cut in one of them was way too huge. This was part of my explosion issue. But even the one with smaller vents exploded. What is needed is something to hold up the dough so the filling doesn't ooze out. As you can see in this cross-section, the marshmallow did just this. and the chocolate and peanut butter stayed in. But the marshmallow itself oozed out and completely disappeared. I was thinking maybe chunks of brownie or some other dense cake would work, with some caramel and hot fudge in there. Or maybe nuts. Or even a whole strawberry or chunks of apple. I did make a calzone once that had apple pie filling in it, that worked out well. But like I said, more experiments. Any ideas, kids?

One pleasant surprise: the filling that oozed out turned into a crispy caramel/toffee kind of thing that was quite good.Who'd have guessed?

35 comments:

Shane T. Wingerd said...

Oozing Crispy Caramel/Toffee sounds all kinds of good to me!!!

Jenn said...

Either way this looks really good. Keep at it I'm sure you'll get it right. Mmmm...I can just imagine the gooey deliciousness after coming out of the oven. ;-D

Sarah Alaoui said...

Nom nom...is it because of the temperature maybe that they exploded? I've never baked anything at 500 degrees...but IDK, maybe that wasn't it :)
the fillings look yum though!

Donna-FFW said...

I bet you will tweak this to perfection. It is such a great idea, very original.

The Brutal Gourmet said...

I bet if you added some milk to soften the dough and baked them a bit lower you could get a more pastryesque crust and have more chance of keeping your fillings in.

Sharon H. said...

I think the temp needs to be lower: Here is a recipe for cannoli calzones:

Ingredients:

1/2 recipe pizza dough, recipe follows
1 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted


Directions:

Preheat a deep fryer to 350 degrees F.

Roll dough into a 12-inch circle, about 1/2-inch thick. In a bowl, combine mascarpone, ricotta, confectioners' sugar, chocolate chips, and toasted walnuts. Place cheese filling over half of the dough. Fold the other half of the dough over the filling. Seal the edges well by pinching the dough together.

Carefully drop into deep fryer and fry until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove to a paper towel lined plate. Let cool slightly before serving.

Alternately, preheat oven to 500 degrees F. If you have one, place a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven.

Dust pizza peel or baking sheet with cornmeal. Place rolled out dough on peel. Top with filling and seal, as directed above. Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until dough is golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving.

Sharon H. said...

I think the temp needs to be lower: Here is a recipe for cannoli calzones:

Ingredients:

1/2 recipe pizza dough, recipe follows
1 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted


Directions:

Preheat a deep fryer to 350 degrees F.

Roll dough into a 12-inch circle, about 1/2-inch thick. In a bowl, combine mascarpone, ricotta, confectioners' sugar, chocolate chips, and toasted walnuts. Place cheese filling over half of the dough. Fold the other half of the dough over the filling. Seal the edges well by pinching the dough together.

Carefully drop into deep fryer and fry until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove to a paper towel lined plate. Let cool slightly before serving.

Alternately, preheat oven to 500 degrees F. If you have one, place a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven.

Dust pizza peel or baking sheet with cornmeal. Place rolled out dough on peel. Top with filling and seal, as directed above. Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until dough is golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving.

Sharon H. said...

Sorry for the double post, not sure what happened. :(

monicajane said...

yeah, I think they look good...explosions or not...

Wandering Coyote said...

These look delish, Bob, despite explosions. I like the brownie idea.

Spryte said...

Maybe if the marshmallow was sandwiched in between the other ingredients?

Bob said...

Culinary Alchemist: Heh, it was good.

Jenn: Thanks, I will be trying it again.

Sarah Alaoui: It could be, I was just baking them at the normal calzone temp. But of course, they aren't normal calzones.

Donna: Thanks! :D

Brutal: I'll have to try that the next time I actually make the dough. This was picked up at the shop down the street.

Sarah H: Don't sweat the double. ;) That recipe looks fantastic. But I do notice that the temp in it is also 500...

monicajane: thanks!

Wandering Coyote: Thanks, I think that's what I'm going to try next.

Spryte: Maybe, but I think that might make the other stuff more likely to ooze. It's one of the things I'm going to try though.

Heather S-G said...

mmmmm....nummy! The possibilities are endless...would it just work w/out cutting any vent holes at all? I'm thinking I'd love an almond/cherry one...

Anonymous said...

Despite the marshmallow disappearing, the dessert calzone sounds wonderfully delicious! i found if I refrigerate the pastries after filling them, the filling is more likely to stay intact.

Hungry Dog said...

They still look good, even if they exploded. I especially like the chocolate and peanut butter idea, can't think of a better combination!

Palidor said...

Ahh, you make me laugh. Take a shower afterwards? LOL!

I think the foods you suggested for a barrier are good ones. What about a blob of raw cookie dough? Then you'll have a nice baked cookie inside when it's done.

The Duo Dishes said...

This is funny. :) No doubt, they were good? All that matters! Maybe next time, if you don't slice them on top and press out all of the air when you seal them, they'll stay closed?

petite nyonya said...

As long as they're good to eat, I can live with however they look.

Sharon H. said...

Oops...I glanced at the deep fry temp! Oh well :)

Dee said...

my first time to your blog! the brocolli calzone drew me in

ideas ...

fig spread and perscutto ?

or for a more desserty type
pears, cinnamon, and raisins ?

or perhaps a chocolate spread like nutella and some sliced bananas

Leslie said...

They might not be lookers..but they look like tasty little things

Reeni said...

They may have exploded but they still look delicious to me!! Love those fillings!!

Steph said...

I love it when you get creative with desserts. It looks delicious!

Goldie said...

Still a valiant effort!!!
Same thing happened to me when I used store-bought croissant dough and filled them with Nutella and chocolate frosting. I even put them in a muffin tin, but they managed to blow up and leak onto the cookie sheet I had wisely put under the muffin pan.
Lemme dig up my Grandma's recipe for jam-filled turnovers...I will let you know when I find it!

AnnukkaK said...

Slashing the dough does make pastries prettier, if the filling isn't the sort to come boiling out. Alternatively stab with a fork before baking to let steam escape. Strawberries IMHO don't take kindly to cooking or baking, they'll still taste OK but look like limp blobs. Smaller berries, raspberry or blueberry etc. fare better, they sort of melt together but may produce too much juice. Maybe mix in some cornstarch or equivalent to mop it up? Chunks of other fruit, apple or pineapple or pear etc. sound better for roof support. Apple, honey or brown sugar and nuts? Some fig preserve and a slice of chevre on top?

Dewi said...

What a delightful calzones.

unconfidentialcook said...

Peanut butter and chocolate for me!!!

Unknown said...

great experiment! I'm wondering...if the insides should be matched (cooking time wise) with the dough...marshmallows, although totally awesome in theory cook too quickly? hmm....maybe fresh fruit and cheese? or cookie dough? or.....I dunno....but ya, they do need to be perfected cuz wow....what possibilities!! you could melt the marshmallows and drizzle it on top when its done :)

Noob Cook said...

Love all 4 flavours esp the chocolate :D

Kate at Serendipity said...

Bob, I think those look awful. You shouldn't have to eat stuff like that. Send them to me, I'll take care of them... ;-)

nora@ffr said...

crispy and delish! yummmmmmmmmmmm!! a must try ye experiment! :)

The Moon Muse said...

YUM! I know a few boys at my house that would love those!

Palidor said...

Bob, I've tagged you on my blog. If you don't wish to participate, that's okay! But I love your blog (and kitties!) so that's why I'm tagging you.

vanillasugarblog said...

oven might have been too hot?
who knows, I love experiments nonetheless.

Tangled Noodle said...

I was waiting for these and then it takes me two weeks to visit again! I would totally still eat these; after all, there are lava cakes - why not exploding calzones? 8-)

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