Skip to main content

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!


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Peek-a-boo Squares

My grandma, Mimi, taught me this recipe. I used to make this with her and my mother as a child. It is my very favorite dessert. It is incredibly easy to make, and even easier to eat. My favorite part of making this as a child was dusting every bar generously with snowy white powdered sugar.  My favorite version of this dessert uses canned blueberry pie filling; I vastly prefer Libby brand over the store brand. You can make blueberry pie filling from scratch with sugar, cornstarch, bleberries, etc. but using the canned stuff is easy in a pinch and is much for nostalgic for me. Plus, I don’t notice a vast improvement over my homemade blueberry pie filling and the Libby brand; it just takes me longer to put this dessert together.  I have been known to whip up a pan of these Friday night and have them disappear by Saturday afternoon. Be warned, these things are addictive! Ingredients: 3 cups of all-purpose flour 2 cups of granulated sugar 4 eggs 2 ...

Samosas with Yogurt Sauce

I love exploring many kinds of cuisine in my kitchen because I can control the spice level, and in the case of this recipe, the use of cilantro. Cilantro lovers out there- sub it info the parsley here. I have the gene that makes cilantro taste like soap, which limits my ability to enjoy some dishes in restaurants, but is easily rectified in my own kitchen. I hope you enjoy! Ingredients:  3 russet potatoes 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped 2 teaspoons curry powder 5 ounces peas Six 8 inch flour tortillas 4 ounces Greek yogurt Oil, salt, pepper, vinegar 4 tablespoons butter Method: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet. Scrub potatoes and cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces. Place in a large saucepan with a generous pinch of salt and enough water to cover by 1 inch. Cover and bring to a boil over high; uncover and cook until tenderDrain potatoes and transfer to a bowl.  Heat 2 tablespoons oil in reserved saucepan over medium. Add chopped garl...

Almond Christmas Cookies

 I have taken quite a long hiatus from this blog- we have been building the barn and bought my two horses, Cowboy and Sven home, and I have passed all my doctoral comps and orals (for my musical arts in vocal performance degree- I am not going to be a medical doctor).... It is my favorite time of the year- that narrow slice between Thanksgiving and Christmas. As a singer, teacher, and student, it is an incredibly busy time of year, but I love making time in the kitchen. Happily, these almond cookies are very easy to make, and even easier to clean up after. And almond is my favorite flavor for a sweet treat, especially paired with a sweet vanilla glaze. Enjoy! Ingredients: Cookies: 8 tablespoons softened butter 3 large eggs, room temp 2 1/4 all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons almond extract Glaze: 1 1/3 cup powdered sugar 3 tablespoons whole milk 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 tablespoons nonpareils Method: Cream togethe...