Puff Pastry Stacks Food

PUFF PASTRY SNACKS

Steps:

• Unfold thawed frozen puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Cut into pieces just large enough to wrap around your food (see below) with a 1/2-inch overlap. Wrap, moisten the edge with water and pinch to seal.
• Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, seam-side down. Whisk 1 egg with 2 tablespoons water; brush on the pastry and freeze until firm, about 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake until the pastry is puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Ideas:
• Bacon: Cook until crisp and drain; stack 3 slices.
• Chocolate bars
• Dill pickles
• Dried figs
• Goat Cheese: Use a thick slice; freeze 2 hours before wrapping.
• Jalapenos: Seed if desired.
• Mango chutney
• Marinated artichoke hearts: Drain and pat dry.
• Pears: Stack 3 slices.
• Portobello mushrooms: Remove the stems; scrape out the gills.
• Prosciutto: Stack 3 slices.
• Pitted Olives

PUFF PASTRY APPLE TURNOVERS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon; add apples and toss to coat. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each pastry sheet into a 12-in. square. Cut each into four squares. , Spoon 1/2 cup apple mixture into the center of each square; fold diagonally in half and press edges to seal. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet., In a small bowl, combine the butter, sugar and cinnamon; brush over pastry. Bake at 400° for 12-16 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with ice cream if desired.

STACKED PUFF PASTRY WITH CHERRIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Cut 4 "walls" of puff pastry by cutting approximately 1-inch wide strips along each side of a sheet of puff pastry. Set "walls" aside. Poke the remaining "floor" of puff pastry with a fork to provide an escape for steam.
• Lightly apply the egg wash just inside the cut edges of the "floor". Stack "wall" pieces on top of "floor" piece placing the cut edge of the "walls" on the outside edge. Dab ends of "walls" with egg wash and fold long pieces over to form a square.
• Cut a 7 by 7-inch square out of the second sheet of puff pastry. Fold it in half and cut vents for steam along the fold.
• Shake bread or cake crumbs on drained cherries and let sit for 10 minutes. Spoon cherry mixture onto pastry "floor", using more than you may think necessary to compensate for the pastry puffing. Apply egg wash on "walls" avoiding the very edge.
• Lay vented "top" piece on top. Brush with egg wash.
• Bake in oven for 30 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for another 30 minutes.

QUICKEST PUFF PASTRY

Steps:

• Cut 8 ounces (2 sticks) butter into 1/2 to 1/4-inch dice, place on a plate and refrigerate while preparing remaining ingredients.Measure water and add salt; stir to dissolve and set aside.
• Coarsely dice remaining 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter. Place flour in work bowl of food processor fitted with metal blade; add 4 tablespoons butter and pulse until butter is absorbed -- about ten to twelve 1-second pulses.
• Add remaining butter and pulse once or twice to distribute. Add water and pulse 3 or 4 times, just until dough forms a rough ball. Do not over-process.
• Flour work surface and scrape dough from work bowl. Shape dough into a rough rectangle and place between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Press dough with rolling pin to flatten, then roll back and forth several times with rolling pin to make a 12 by 18 inch rectangle of dough.
• Peel away plastic wrap and invert dough to floured work surface. Peel away second piece of wrap. Fold dough in thirds in the width, folding the top third down and the bottom third up, to make a 6 by 18-inch rectangle, then roll up the dough from one of the 6-inch ends, making sure to roll end under dough. Press the dough into a square, wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour, or until firm.

PUFF PASTRY STACKS

Steps:

• Thaw pastry sheets at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400º F.
• Unfold 1 pastry sheet on lightly floured surface.
• Cut 4 stars (or any shape appropriate for the occasion)of each size.
• Use 3 star cookie cutters in graduated sizes (2-inch, 2½-inch, and 3-inch cookie cutters or Cardboard patterns).
• Repeat with remaining pastry sheet.
• Place stars on baking sheets.
• Bake 10 minutes or until golden.
• Remove from baking sheets and cool on wire rack.
• To assemble trees:.
• Top large star pastry with 1 teaspoon pudding/curd.
• Top with medium star pastry, turning star so points do not line up.
• Top with 1 teaspoon pudding/curd and place small star pastry on top, turning so points do not line up.
• Repeat with remaining star pastries, making 8 trees.
• Drizzle trees with honey.
• Sprinkle with green sugar (or color of your choice) and top each with a raspberry or cherry half.
• NOTE: Obviously there are many variations of this, fitting many occasions. Change the jelly; pudding for lemon curd; etc.