A Secret Weapon in the Cookery Arsenal

Frozen puff pastry.  In my neck of the woods, it's Pepperidge Farm brand. It keeps (in the freezer) a long, long time. And when you find yourself needing a fancy entree or dessert or appetizer -- there it is, ready and willing to provide a base for whatever you choose to put on it or wrap it around.  

I've topped chicken pot pie and made scrumptious fruit tarts and elegant Napoleons with my secret weapon. Most recently I made the appetizers pictured above.  Really easy, fairly quick, and very tasty.

Here's the original recipe - straight from the Pepperidge Farm site. (No, I'm not getting paid -- it's just that I really love the versatility of this stuff.  If, however, Mr. Pepperidge wanted to send me some . . . I'd sure put it to good use.)

White Pizza Appetizers

Ingredients

1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets  (1 sheet), thawed
Garlic powder
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese  (about 4 ounces)
1/4 cup sliced pitted ripe olive
1/4 cup finely chopped green or red pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed

Directions

Heat the oven to 400°F.

Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface.  Roll the pastry sheet into a 15x10-inch rectangle.  Cut in half lengthwise.  Place the pastry onto baking sheets.  Prick the pastry thoroughly with a fork.  Sprinkle with the garlic powder.

Bake for 10 minutes or until the pastries are golden.  Divide the cheese, olives, pepper and oregano among the pastries.

Bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.  Remove the pastries from the baking sheets and let cool on wire racks for 10 minutes.  Cut each pastry into 16 squares.

And here's my version, altered to suit the ingredients I had on hand and doubled because I was taking the appetizers to a party (there was a fourth rectangle that didn't fit on the tray, alas, so I ate it for supper, after the party.

Ingredients

17.3-ounce package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets  (2 sheets), thawed (Take it out of the package and it'll thaw in about a half an hour
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese  (about 4 ounces)
4 oz. crumbled feta cheese
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 orange bell pepper, sliced
1 onion, sliced
Asparagus spears -- cut in two inch lengths I'm not sure how much I used -- a good handful, I guess.
Olive oil
Konriko Cajun salt
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crushed

Directions

Heat the oven to 400°F.

Toss the vegetables  in olive oil, spread on cookie sheets, sprinkle with  Konriko salt and roast about fifteen minutes till cooked but still a little crunchy (the onion can be thoroughly cooked.)  Keep the vegetables separate from one another to make dividing up easier.

Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface.  Roll the pastry sheet into a 15x10-inch rectangle.  Cut in half lengthwise.  Place the pastry onto baking sheets.  Prick the pastry thoroughly with a fork.  Repeat with second sheet. (I forgot the part about pricking them and they swelled up like pillows. As soon as they were done, I gently pressed them flat with my hand. Worked fine.)

Bake for 10 minutes or until the pastries are golden. Divide the roasted vegetables and rosemary among the pastries. Top with the cheeses.

Bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.  Remove the pastries from the baking sheets and let cool on wire racks for 10 minutes.  Cut each pastry into 16 squares.

   There are so many ways to vary this recipe -- I'm thinking of kalamata olives and a little tomato pesto. . . or prosciutto, figs and goat cheese . . . or roasted cherry tomatoes and green onions . . . or . . .