puff pastry

I hate the nagging feeling that I get when I open my fridge to discover far too many random odds and ends: nubs of cheese, leftover scrambled eggs, chopped herbs, bits of sausage or ham. After all, there's nothing worse than watching food go to waste. Find out what I do to solve this problem after the jump.

The Golden Globes are this Sunday, and if you plan on viewing the awards ceremony with friends and family, why not whip up a delicious and simple appetizer?! We recommend chef Meg Hall's parmesan puff pastry twists. Learn how to make them now!

During the holidays, stock your fridge with puff pastries for quick appetizers that can be thrown together in a pinch. The flaky, easy-to-thaw, simple-to-slice dough is irresistible, whether it's stuffed with something sweet like ginger and holiday spice or savory like sliced prosciutto. Wow guests with minimal work by serving two types of puff pastry spirals — one sweet, filled with diced green apples and dusted with pecans and powdered sugar; the other savory and infused with the Roman flavors of sharp parmesan cheese and black pepper. Everyone will be raving at both the beginning and the end of the meal. Want the recipes? Then click to read more.

Fresh berries and flaky puff pastry are always a winning combination. To keep up with our berry tempting recipe series, I made mini blueberry-vanilla cream cheese pies that are simple and delicious. I was a little zealous while filling them and clearly overdid it — thus, my pies popped open during baking. Regardless, they were still mighty tasty!

This recipe is a great staple to have on hand when you want to impress guests with pastries. Feel free to substitute another berry or flavor the cream cheese mixture with citrus zest or a different extract. My next round will be raspberries with a lemony cream cheese. Get started on your own pocket pies by reading more.

When TrèsSugar hosted a party on a recent Friday night, I not only supplied her with a bunch of easy appetizer ideas, I also volunteered to make something for the event. I took my own advice and threw together a quick, but tasty app with puff pastry. Since Trés is a huge fan of all things French, I decided to do ham and cheese pinwheels seasoned with dijon mustard. Pinwheels are a great portable potluck appetizer option because you can assemble them at home and when you get to the party, slice, bake, and serve. To get my simple but scrumptious recipe — seriously, these were all gone in a matter of minutes! — read more

PartySugar keeps puff pastry in her freezer; it comes in handy when she's looking for an easy appetizer to pull together at the 11th hour. But what exactly is puff pastry, and what differentiates this dough from others? Puff pastry originated in the 15th century in France, where it's known as pâte feuilletée, or "leafed pastry," a reference to the dough's countless flaky layers. Although its main ingredients are as basic as flour, butter, water, and salt, puff pastry expands exponentially when baked, rising to up to eight times its original height. The dough's many layers are the result of a labor-intensive process of chilling butter in between layers of pastry, rolling it out, and allowing it to rest. The prevalence of commercial, ready-made puff pastry makes for easier preparations of sweet and savory classics, including turnovers, strudels, croissants, palmiers, beef wellington, and pot pie. To achieve the best results, avoid overhandling the dough (this will make it tough), and bake it in a preheated oven at a moderate temperature.

Source: Flickr User syvwlch

When hosting a holiday celebration like Easter that involves planning an elaborate several-course meal, don't be afraid to cut some corners. Instead of making a time-consuming dessert, put together a simple, but special, puff pastry tart. This one is topped with fresh strawberries, creamy mascarpone, and sweet honey. It's a light and fruity finish that's the perfect way to end your Easter meal. To make in advance, roll out the dough and keep the cooked strawberries in an airtight container. Top the dough just before baking. Read more for the easy recipe.

On today's episode of YumTV, Chef Meg Hall teaches us a simple and quick appetizer idea, puff pastry parmesan twists. This five-ingredient hors d'oeuvre is elegant and delicious, but oh-so-easy to put together. Watch now and see how it's done!