Bleu cheese, pear and pecan puff pastry

The problem with being a blogger/foodie weirdo is that I constantly am buying loads of ingredients, using a small portion of them for a given recipe, and then I am left with an embarrassing amount of leftover ingredients. You should see how packed my pantry, fridge and freezers are! It is a problem, but it is also a wonderful gift. Some of my best recipes come from trying to use up various ingredients I have from other recipes.

This particular hors d’oeurve was a result of a cheese plate night, a beef wellington, and pecan pie. The only I bought was the pear. I figured that cheese+puff pastry+ nuts+ fruit really had no way to go wrong. I have enjoyed bleu cheese and pears before, so I reasoned that surrounding that combo with buttery puff pastry and crunchy nuts could prove delicious. Happily, I was wrong- it is incredibly delicious. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed

8 tablespoons blue cheese, crumbled

1 anjou pear, sliced into 1/4 inch discs

1/3 cup pecans, diced

balsamic glaze, for drizzling

egg wash

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Roll the puff pastry sheet out a little thinner and wider (about a 1/2 inch more). Cut the rectangle into 8 equal rectangles. Cut out the edges as pictured:

Fold them over opposite edges:

Fill each center with pear, then cheese, then nuts. Brush the pastry with egg wash.

Bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted, the pastry is golden and the pear is softened. Remove to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes, then drizzle with balsamic glaze and enjoy!

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