Not So Puffy Puff Pastry

Where shall I begin? I'll start off by saying I made puff pastry. kinda. I made this along with my gal pals Ingrid and Michelle. The recipe was chosen by Ingrid and I was excited about making it because I've always wanted to make puff pastry. Why? Well because I like a good challenge, I like to know that I can make something that I would otherwise just purchase from the store and because that Pepperidge Farm box of puff pastry doesn't actually contain any butter. It's true. And lastly because the real stuff is expensive.

This puff pastry recipe is kind of a shortcut version. It's not made like a typical puff pastry is made. Puff pastry generally starts off like homemade croissants would, by folding dough over a slab of butter. Repeat, repeat, repeat until you end up with layers upon layers of butter and dough. But this recipe has you incorporate the ingredients into a mixer bowl, create a dough, then fold it like an envelope a few times, with refrigeration in between. I didn't have very much success with this method. I had problems from the very beginning. I mixed for the recommended amount of time (I even set a timer) but it quickly became overmixed. Perhaps it was too warm and melded together despite chilling the ingredients??? At this point I should have started over but I was out of butter. So, I added the liquid and it didn't absorb so I added more flour. Then I forgot to refrigerate after the first turn but I proceeded on and while it looked fine, the end result didn't puff up much- it rose then fell.

I can't say this recipe was faulty, because others have had success with it, but I definitely would not try it again. I feel like I wasted my GOOD butter on this, though I don't regret the challenge because I got to bake with my friends. I don't use puff pasty often but if I ever get a wild hair up my butt and want to try again, I'll try a different recipe and method. If you're feeling adventurous and want to give it a go, then by all means do, the recipe is below. In the meantime, I'll just tell you what I did with mine. I scored the edges of the thawed out dough, prebaked it at 400F for 15 minutes, then topped it with pesto, garlic, caramelized onions, Boursin cheese, shrimp, bacon and cherry tomatoes and baked it for another 20 minutes til the pastry was golden. The edges of the pastry were tender, flaky and buttery but the middle was gummy. Overall, this recipe was a disappointment, but at least I walk away from it with knowledge of what to do next time.

Homemade Puff Pastry from The Art & Soul of Baking via Tracey's Culinary Adventures

• 4 1/2 sticks (18 oz) cold unsalted butter
• 3 cups (15 oz) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons (3 oz) very cold water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Cut the butter into 3/4-inch cubes. Transfer the cubes to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the flour and salt to the bowl also and use your hands to mix briefly, until the butter is coated with flour. Put the bowl in the refrigerator to chill for 20 minutes. Combine the water and vinegar in a measuring cup and chill this mixture in the fridge for 20 minutes as well.

After 20 minutes, remove the mixer bowl from the fridge and attach to a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. You want the butter to break into smaller pieces of varying sizes (the largest about 1/2-inch square); be careful, however, not to over-mix - if the butter is too small, it will be unable to form flaky layers in your puff pastry.

With the mixer still on low speed, slowly add the water/vinegar mixture to the bowl, drizzling in different points around the bowl. When the dough begins to come together in large chunks (within about 10 seconds), stop the mixer. The dough will be slightly moist but it will not look smooth. Turn the contents of the bowl onto a floured work surface.

Use your hands to shape the dough into a rough rectangle about 6 x 8 inches and 1 1/2 inches thick. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a 14 x 16-inch rectangle. You can flour the dough a bit if necessary, but brush the excess flour away once you've finished rolling the dough out. Fold the dough into thirds like a letter. Start with a narrower side facing you and begin by folding the bottom third up. Next, fold the top third down to complete the "turn."

After you complete the first turn, roll your rolling pin across the top of the dough gently 1 or 2 times, just to fuse the dough. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes. You'll want to repeat this process 2 more times - to create three turns total. Continue to chill the dough for 30 minutes between turns. Once you've completed all 3 turns, chill the dough (wrapped in plastic wrap) for at least 1 hour before using.

Cut the dough into 2 pieces, roll out each piece (my measurements were about 12x15-inches) and double wrap in plastic wrap. The dough can be refrigerated for 2 days or frozen for 4-6 weeks. Thaw frozen dough overnight in the refrigerator.

Refer to your desired recipe for oven temps and cooking times.

Makes 2 1/4 pounds of dough

Hopefully, Michelle and Ingrid had success with theirs. Go visit them to find out!

More Cheese Please!

If you know me at all, you know that I love me some cream cheese. Like seriously love it. But I don't like it in savory dishes when it's all hot and creamy. G-ross! However if it's sweetened in any way, shape or form, I am in!

So when I saw these Cheese Danishes on A Feast For The Eyes I knew I had to make them. Stat! I read her post that night and immediately got up to make the filling to chill over night, except I didn't have ricotta cheese so I added a little extra cream cheese. I baked them up the following morning. BTW, if you've never been to her blog, go over there right now. She is amazing and so sweet! I call her my surrogate mom :-)

At the time I only had mini puff pastry shells so that's what I used. I was in desperate need of pastry so I made them work. I let them come to room temperature then I pulled out some of the center so they wouldn't puff up so much. I topped them with the cheese filing, fresh cherries, blueberries and a sprinkling of Sugar In the Raw. They were the perfect two bite pastry. Crisp and flaky, creamy and smooth cheesy centers, fruit and crunchy sugar. What's not to like?

I have made them 3 times since then and have made them with the full sheets of puff pastry and added homemade strawberry jam and mini chocolate chips (as you see in the header). I liked both versions of this danish. It's very simple but impressive to look at and eat, and they're less expensive to make than they are to buy. Great for guests and lazy weekends, but they're best fresh so only bake what you're going to eat. Thanks for the recipe Debby!

Easy Cheese Danishes from Ina Garten via Debby

• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
• 2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
• coarse or raw (turbinado) sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Place the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream them together on low speed until smooth. With the mixer still on low, add the egg yolks, ricotta, vanilla, salt, and lemon zest and mix until just combined. Don’t whip!

Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured board and roll it slightly with a floured rolling pin until it’s a 10 by 10-inch square. Cut the sheet into quarters with a sharp knife.

Place a heaping tablespoon of cheese filling into the middle of each of the 4 squares. Brush the border of each pastry with egg wash and fold 2 opposite corners to the center, brushing and overlapping the corners of each pastry so they firmly stick together (I didn't fold the danishes with the chocolate chips and jam- I left them square. However if you're going to do it this way, lightly score a border around the pastry so it puffs up but don't cut through and poke holes in the center so it doesn't rise too much! I prebaked these for about 7 minutes before I added the cheese filling. See photo below).

Brush the top of the pastries with egg wash and place them on the prepared sheet pan. Sprinkle with sugar is you desire. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry and refrigerate the filled Danish for 15 minutes.

Bake the pastries for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking, until puffed and brown. Serve warm.

NOTE: I used 1/2 the filling for the smaller bite size danishes (made 24). They baked for about 15 minutes before turning golden.

Also I used 1 lemon instead of two and made the filling the night before so it would set up a bit per Debby's suggestion. I also subbed cream cheese for the ricotta because I didn't have any and they were still delicious.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Going Green

I first made this tart for a small dinner party last summer to accompany mashed potatoes and pork tenderloin. It was very yummy and easy to make. The recipe name may sound fancy and complicated but it's really not. It's great for a simple supper for two, or cut into small squares and served on a buffet. I served this for Easter and everyone there loved it! Asparagus Gruyere Tart from Everyday Food

• Flour, for work surface
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 5 1/2 oz. or 2 c. grated Gruyere cheese
• 1 1/2 lbs. Asparagus spears
• 1 tbsp. Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry (thawed according to package instructions) into a 16x10- inch rectangle. Trim uneven edges. Place the pastry on a baking sheet. With a sharp knife, lightly score the dough 1 inch from the edges to mark a rectangle. Using a fork, pierce the dough inside the markings at half-inch intervals. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes.

Remove the pastry shell from the oven, and sprinkle with cheese. Trim the bottoms of the asparagus spears to fit crosswise inside the tart shell. Arrange in a single layer over the cheese, alternating ends and tips. Brush with the oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake until the spears are tender, 20-25 minutes.

NOTE: Pricking the dough prior to baking keeps it from puffing up too high as it bakes. Also, I've made this with goat cheese adding a nice tartness (no pun intended :-)). I've also used Boursin garlic and herb cheese under the Gruyere. It adds a nice garlicky taste, but it can be tricky to spread. If you choose to add this, just microwave half the block of cheese for 15 seconds or until softened, then spread it on baked pastry. Proceed with the rest of the recipe as directed. Make sure to eat this all up though, because leftovers aren't so good- the pastry gets soggy.