a puff-pastry-loving robot

So, what does a robot have to do with savory, little puff pastries?  Well, nothing, really.  Nothing except the simple fact that I've had one thing on my mind these days: the mad rush to finish artwork for an upcoming show.  And much of this recent flurry of art-making has revolved around robots.  So, rather than whip up a more relevant illustration for this post, I decided to take the easy road and turn "Clark the Robot" into "Clark, the Puff-Pastry-Loving Robot."  I don't think he'll mind.  And, I don't think you'll mind either, since he's much more fun to look at than a rushed sketch of an avocado or a slab of puff pastry. 

But, I think that Clark has the right idea anyway.  Puff pastry is amazing stuff.  A few months ago, a friend gave me a tip about the flaky, fabulous, frozen dough.  She insisted that it was easy to work with, delicious, and produced incredible results.  I remember asking her skeptically, "But is it like phyllo dough?" (which I'd given up on years ago).  She promised it was much, much easier.  So, eventually, I found this interesting-sounding recipe and got brave enough to give it a chance. 

And, guess what?  She was right.  If you've never used puff pastry before, it really is easy.  This recipe is probably a less traditional use of the pastry than some, but it is delightful in its unexpected-ness.  Be sure to add a good amount of the tastiest salsa you can find (Trader Joe's has some great ones!), because the avocado and cream cheese are delightful in texture but subtle in flavor.  They need the assertiveness of a good, strong salsa. 

So, whether you try puff pastry with this recipe or with something altogether different, just be sure to try it.  Could a charming, quirky, little robot named Clark really be wrong about this kind of thing?

The Recipe: Avocado, Cream Cheese, Salsa Puff Pastries

from loveveggiesandyoga.com

1 large sheet puffed pastry, thawed
1 ripe avocado, halved and mashed (approximately 1 tablespoon of avocado per pastry square)
1/3 cup cream cheese (approximately 1 teaspoon of cream cheese per pastry square)
1/3 cup salsa (approximately 1 teaspoon of salsa per pastry square. Green salsa is especially yummy)
salt and pepper, sprinkled to taste
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 400F and prepare two baking sheets with either parchment paper, Silpat liners, or spray them well with cooking spray.

Thaw one large square of puffed pastry for about 10 minutes. Flour your countertop or working surface and roll out the pastry square as thinly as possible.  With a pizza cutter or knife, slice the puffed pastry into approximately 2-inch by 2-inch squares.  From the one thinly rolled large sheet of frozen puffed pastry, we created 24 squares (but this number will vary depending on your puff pastry).

On half the squares (12 squares for us), place a dollop of avocado, then cream cheese, then salsa, season with salt and pepper.  Use the remaining squares as the lids and place one lid over the filling mounds. Seal the pastry packages by pressing the edges with a fork, taking care to seal the edges well, pressing the fork in repeatedly, so no filling escapes during baking.

In a small bowl, beat an egg with a fork, and apply an eggwash to each of the pastry packages. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until desired browning and puffing has occurred. Watch them closely after 10 minutes in case your oven is hotter or your brand of puffed pastry cooks faster.

Remove from the oven and serve.  Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and if desired, reheat leftovers in the microwave for approximately 45 seconds before serving.  Or, store extras in an airtight container on the countertop for a day or so, using common sense because of the cream cheese filling, and reheating in the microwave if desired.

Makes approximately 9-12 puffs, depending on size of squares and how thin dough is rolled.

disaster strikes?

Disaster strikes, yet again. Well, that's what I thought when I first started making these puff pastries. I must describe to you the scenario in the kitchen at the time of attempting these little pastry creations.  Please envision the following:

I had gotten home from work and planned on making the puff pastries for dinner. Yes, I know, they are more like appetizers, so why would I make them for dinner? Remember, it's me we're talking about. My adorable nephew was over and being entertained by grandma. Now, when I say entertained, I mean entertained by anything and everything. Today was rice day. Owen loves taking scoops of rice, making it rain and pour into his hand, onto the floor, down his shirt...you name it. This of course meant that everywhere I stepped, while trying to cook, was a step on top of rice, rice, and more rice. Being in the kitchen was also a distraction for Owen because he loves being involved in anything cooking related. So, there's me, walking through piles of rice. There's Owen, pulling on my pants saying, "Up, up?" There's a new recipe, which we all know stresses me out. There's pastry dough and salsa squirting out of every side. And there's a whole lot of flour all over the counter. 

Now, after reading that, you would think that these pastries were a complete wreck. Well, to your surprise and mine, they were amazing! The dough puffed up exactly the way pastry puff should, the salsa and other ingredients inside, pretty much stayed inside, and they tasted delicious. Goes to show that a frustrating beginning doesn't always have to end with a frustrating ending. It was just the opposite in this case! Disaster didn't strike me this time!