Amber comments: This week, April is having her entire house remodeled so she won’t be able to post a new recipe. (Hard to do when your kitchen is a complete mess. with builder’s stuff everywhere) Instead, I am reposting a recipe that was so delicious, your family will beg for more.
Puff Pastry; personally I believe it is a gift from heaven, but my grocer says “no.” I also think it should have its own space on the food pyramid, but that’s another story. I use it more than I should, but you can make so many beautiful dishes with it that I would feel neglectful as a chef if I did not use it several times a month.
Amber comments: I am nodding my head in full agreement with Ms. April. Love me some puffed pastry! In fact, it is probably my favorite type of pastry to create dishes with.
I often find myself pondering ways to use puff pastry. Hmmm….maybe a dessert….maybe an entrée….maybe an appetizer! Yes! That’s what I want! Once you taste this delicious morsel, you are going to want to make a meal of this tasty appetizer. It’s a perfect side to a delicious salad for dinner. If you are going to make this for a party, you can make it ahead and pop it in the freezer–bring it out and bake it right before your event.
This recipe has all of my favorite things. BACON; seriously, what isn’t better with bacon? GOATS CHEESE; there is nothing that tastes so decadent in your mouth than those two flavors put together. ONION; now we’re talking. And you already know my thoughts on Puff Pastry.
California Girl comments: BACON!?!?!
Let me give you a little tip on Puff Pastry. It’s spendy, I know. And you can’t always find it. Check in your city for a restaurant supply. We have one where I live and unfortunately, they know me by my first name. I cook a lot so I often buy ingredients in large amounts. Plus, at a restaurant supply, you can get some amazing ingredients that would cost much more at the supermarket. So, if you have one near you, take a morning and check it out. That being said, it’s where I purchase my puff pastry. I get it in a large box of square piece and I keep it in the freezer. When I need a few or a dozen, I simply pop them out of the box and bring them in. Plus, I am paying a great deal less than I would for those small boxes at the grocery store.
Now, let’s get back to this week’s recipe! Before you bring the puff pastry out of the freezer, prepare your ingredients so you can assemble quickly, while the pastry is still frozen.
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray.
You will need:
1 pound of bacon
1 4oz package of cream cheese
1 cup of goats cheese crumbles or Feta ( *Note this recipe works beautifully with Blue Cheese)
1 yellow or white onion (diced or cut into very thin slices)
6 5-6 inch squares of puff pastry (keep frozen)
4-5 green onions
Cook the bacon in a skillet or non-stick pan until crispy. Drain off the bacon fat, and remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Set aside.
Using the same skillet, cook the onions on medium heat until they are caramel colored and cooked through. You can dice them, or cook them in ribbons; it doesn’t matter. When cooked, put in a bowl and set aside.
Cut the green tops off of 4-5 green onions, and slice into thin pieces
Place the 6 puff pastry squares on the cookie sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. you can butt them up together if you need to. They won’t stick to each other.
Spread a thick layer of cream cheese on each square. Doing so while the pastry is frozen will keep you from tearing the delicate pastry. Spread the cream cheese all the way to the edge of the pastry.
Sprinkle each pastry with the caramelized onions, dividing equally.
Sprinkle each pastry with the prepared bacon bits, dividing equally.
Sprinkle each pastry with the Goats Cheese or Feta Crumbles, leaving about 1/4 cup leftover for after they come out of the oven.
Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven, and sprinkle with the remaining blue cheese. Garnish generously with the sliced green onions.
Remove with a oven proof spatula, and place on a cutting board. Cut diagonally to make 4 servings from each pastry square.
This recipe will make 24 appetizers! We have made it to go with tomato soup, and it is so yummy! Or make it to go with a summer salad for dinner…it’s delicious warm or cold, so it’s perfect to make a batch to take to that party as a finger food.
I can’t wait to hear how you love this! Amber loves to entertain, and I am sure she won’t waste any time at all making this up herself!
Amber comments: If you are going to pair wine with this dish, you need to think about the flavors of both the bacon and the cheese along with the sweetness of the caramelized onions. My suggestion is to go with a Merlot which is medium body, lightly fruity usually fairly low in tannins and very easy to drink. I think it will hold up beautifully to this dish without overwhelming the light pastry. I have selected a blend which is mostly Merlot to pair with this. At under $20 this Markham Vineyards Cellar 1879 Blend (has been rated at 90+ pts by all of the big wine mags) is great value. It is widely available in grocery stores and wine merchants.
Have a great week! ~ Ms. April
3 Comments
Ok this made my mouth water! Amber… where’s the wine pairing? This sounds like it’s made for a robust red!
Rick, I am sorry, I completely spaced out on the wine pairing this week as there was a mix up with the photographs and I was focused on those. Anyway, this dish is very interesting because of the BLUE CHEESE. Pairing wine with blue cheese is always difficult because you have the salt and sour profile. The bacon adds yet another layer of salt and savory so what do you do? The best wine to pair with this is a Pinot Noir. That ripe cherry flavor and high acidity will help balance these two tough aspects of the dish.
Sounds like a good recommendation. Since I’m not a bleu cheese fan, I’d go with the feta, and the Pinot sounds perfect. Thanks CG!