Fun with Puff Pastry

I know, I know, I know...I haven't been blogging a lot, but as between studying for NCLEX and cooking our favorites (ribs one night, Italian Beef for a potluck at church) and no new recipes, I haven't had anything to write about.  Luckily, I had an inservice at work coming up so I decided to try a new puff pastry snack for the occasion!  I had a jar of roasted red pepper and artichoke tapenade in my pantry, and I thought that it might be interesting to mix it with some 3 cheese blend and make pinwheels similar to the prosciutto, cheese, and basil ones we love.  They were a hit at the inservice, and they so very easy to make!



So here's what I did...

Ingredients

1 jar Harris Teeter Trader Roasted Red Pepper and Artichoke Tapenade

1 cup 3 cheese blend

1 sheet of thawed puff pastry

Directions

To thaw the puff pastry sheet, let it sit out for 40 minutes.

In a bowl, mix the Tapenade and cheese.

Dust a cutting board with flour and unfold the pastry sheet.  Cut the pastry sheet vertically to make two sheets.  Spoon half of the mixture onto one of the pastry sheets.  Starting with the side closest to you, roll the pastry jelly-roll fashion into a log, pressing gently to seal long edges. Wrap the log in plastic, and repeat with the other half of the puff pastry. Chill the pastry logs, seam side down for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400F and spray two baking sheets with cooking spray.

Cut logs crosswise into 1/2 inch thick pinwheels and arrange with the cut sides down, 1 inch apart on baking sheets. Bake pinwheels in batches in the middle of the oven for 14 to 16 minutes, until golden brown. Use a metal spatula to transfer pinwheels to a rack and cool. Serve warm.

A Katie Hors d'oeuvres Classic: Prosciutto and Cheese Pinwheels

Back in July, I shared two hors d'oeuvres that took to a surprise baby shower for my friend Kim. Another of my favorite hors d'oeuvre to serve are Prosciutto and Cheese Pinwheels. The first time that I made them was for a Christmas party that Kristin and I had at my home back in 2003.

I have made them using all different kinds of cheeses including Gruyere, Parmesan, Provolone, Cheddar...basically whatever I have had on hand and sometimes I have even combined different types. They are really quick and simple to make and delicious warm. This is the original recipe that I used, but over the years, I've made a couple of changes.  In the picture, I didn't half the puff pastry.  Rick actually likes it better this way!

Prosciutto and Cheese Pinwheels
Ingredients
3/4 cup packed, grated cheese (such as Gruyere, cheddar, Parmesan, Provolone)
2 tablespoons of fresh basil, chopped
1 thawed puff pastry sheet (1 from a 17 1/4 oz package of frozen puff pastry)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
4 oz of thinly sliced prosciutto
Flour

Directions
In a bowl, combine cheese and basil. Lightly flour a cutting board and place puff pastry on it. Cut pastry to make two rectangles. Arrange one half of the sheet with the long side facing and brush the edge of the far side with some eggs. Put 1/2 of prosciutto on the pastry (avoiding the egg-brushed edge. Top with half of the cheese-basil mixture. Starting with the side closest to you, roll the pastry jelly-roll fashion into a log, pressing gently to seal long edges. Wrap the log in plastic, and repeat with the other half of the puff pastry. Chill the pastry logs, seam side down for at least 3 hours and up ot 3 days.

Preheat oven to 400F and lightly grease 2 large baking sheets.

Cut logs crosswise into 1/2 inch thick pinwheels and arrange with the cut sides down, 1 inch apart on baking sheets. Bake pinwheels in batches in the middle of the oven for 14 to 16 minutes, until golden brown. Use a metal spatula to transfer pinwheels to a rack and cool. Serve warm.