Quiche Pastry Cups Recipe

We love experimenting with puff pastry and love this clever idea of filled puff pastry cups!

Use the concept of the recipe and make it your own by using ingredients you and your family love.  A simple pastry cup filled with eggs and cheese would be awesome.

This recipe and photo comes from the website Taste of Home, link follows recipe.

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 30 min. Bake: 15 min.

YIELD:18 servings

Ingredients

1 package (17.3 ounces) frozen puff pastry, thawed
4 large eggs, divided use
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons half-and-half cream, divided
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded Gruyere cheese
1-1/2 cups chopped fresh spinach
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°. 

Unfold puff pastry on a lightly floured surface.  

Roll each sheet into a 12-in. square and cut each into nine squares. 

Gently press onto ungreased muffin cups on bottoms and up sides, allowing corners to point up.

In a small bowl, whisk 3 eggs, 1 cup cream, thyme and seasonings. 

In another bowl, combine cheese, spinach, red pepper and bacon and divide among pastry cups. 

Pour egg mixture over cheese mixture.

In a small bowl, whisk remaining egg with remaining cream and brush over pastry edges. 

Bake 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer the pastry cups to wire racks. 

Serve warm.

Freeze option: 

Cover and freeze baked pastries on greased baking sheets until firm. Transfer to resealable plastic freezer bags and return to freezer. 

To use, reheat frozen pastries on ungreased baking sheets in a preheated 375° oven 17-20 minutes or until heated through. 

Recipe and Photo Source:  Taste of Home

Garlic Butter Bread Sticks

Would you believe these delicious looking bread sticks are made with puff pastry?

Puff pastry is an easy convenience food that we use often to make desserts and savory treats.

Ingredients

• 1 sheet thawed puff pastry (leave out on the counter for 30-40 minutes)
• 3 tbsp Italian garlic butter (or other compound butter)
• 3-5 pinches shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Lay out thawed puff pastry sheet on parchment lined baking sheet
3. Cut into ½ inch strips using a pastry cutter or pizza wheel 
4. Brush melted butter over all the strips
5. Separate & twist each piece; place back on parchment
6. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese
7. Bake 10-12 minutes
8. Allow to cool before moving from baking sheet

This recipe and photo comes from Gina from Kleinworth & Co. 

You can connect with Gina via

Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram & Pinterest. 

Thank you for creating these awesome bread sticks Gina, your creativity is amazing!

SAUSAGE & STUFFING CRISS-CROSS PASTRY

Dressing is one of my favorites!  

Easy and delicious! Putting this dressing or your own dressing recipe in puff pastry is such a great idea as a side dish or appetizer.

I have been seeing many recipes made into individual servings by placing the pastry in muffin tins, filled with whatever filling you wish.  This recipe would work with that technique.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet), thawed
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp. water
• 1/2 lb. bulk pork sausage
• 1 cup Pepperidge Farm® Herb Seasoned Stuffing
• 1 small onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
• 1 cup chopped mushrooms (about 3 ounces)

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oven to 375°F. 

Beat water and 1 egg in a small bowl with a fork or whisk.

In a large bowl, mix the sausage, stuffing, remaining egg, onion and mushrooms.

Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface and cut slits 1-inch apart from the outer edge to the fold mark on each side of the pastry sheet. 

Spoon the dressing mixture down the center of the pastry. 

Starting at one end, fold the pastry strips over the dressing mixture, alternating sides, to cover the dressing mixture. 

Place the pastry onto a baking sheet and brush with the egg mixture.

Bake for 35 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the sausage is cooked through. Let the pastry cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for 10 minutes.


Tip: Serves 8 as an appetizer.

Source

Chocolate Walnut Strudel

Puff pastry has got to be one of my favorite tricks for semi-homemade cooking . . . actually, The Captain introduced me to cooking with puff pastry.

It is an awesome versatile product that can be used in so many ways.  The result is a very quick, easy and delicious dessert, like this recipe from Pepperidge Farm, that makes such a beautiful and impressive presentation.

Puff pastry has become a regular on my grocery list and I will be posting more recipes from Pepperidge Farm and other sources, as well as those recipes that we create.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp. water
• 4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 tbsp. milk
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1/2 pkg. Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet), thawed
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 tbsp. confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oven to 375°F. 

In a small bowl, beat egg and water with a fork.

In a medium microwaveable bowl, microwave the chocolate, milk and butter together on a medium setting for 30 seconds. 

Stir until the mixture is melted and smooth.

Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. 

Roll the pastry sheet into a 16x12-inch rectangle. 

Spread chocolate mixture on the pastry to within 1 1/2 inches of the edge and sprinkle with walnuts. 

Start at the short side and roll up like a jelly roll. Place seam-side down onto a baking sheet and tuck the ends under to seal with the egg mixture.

Bake for 35 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. 

Cool the strudel on baking sheet placed on a wire rack for 30 minutes. 

Sprinkle with the confectioners' sugar.

Notes from Pepperidge Farm

To decorate the strudel, thaw and roll out another pastry sheet into a 12-inch square. Cut the pastry into shapes using a cookie cutter. Press the cut-outs onto the top of the unbaked strudel and brush with the egg mixture. Bake as directed above.

Source