Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Puff pastry cheese bites パフペイストリーリコッタチーズ

My wife really likes small cheesy appetizers in all various forms. This is based on a recipe she saw on line called "Simple Leek and Ricotta Tarts". She made substantial changes to the recipe.


The end  result was quite different in appearance (and maybe in taste).


Ingredients:
500 grams (1 pound) fresh ricotta cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 egg
one sheet ready-prepared puff pastry
1 shallot, trimmed and finely sliced
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 dried thyme leaves
 to taste
Salt and cracked black pepper

Direction:
Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F).
Place the ricotta, parmesan, thyme and eggs in a bowl and whisk until smooth.
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface until 3 mm (1/8 inch) thick.
Cut into bite sized squares and place on baking trays lined with non-stick baking paper. Using a small scoop put the ricotta mixture over the pastry squares leaving a border (#1).
According to the recipe place the shallots on top of the ricotta mixture (#2), (next time we will dice the shallots and mix them into the ricotta mixture).  Brush with the butter especially on the exposed pastry edges. Sprinkle with salt, and pepper and bake for 25–30 minutes or until golden (#3 & #4).



These weren't bad but they were a little bland. Next time we will pump up the flavors by adding the shallots directly to the ricotta mixture, using a bit more thyme and salt. The ricotta mixture expanded to cover the pastry making a nice cheesy crust. They reheated well in the toaster oven. We toasted them crust side up on parchment paper. That way the crust becomes crunchy again and the parchment paper keeps the cheese from sticking to the pan. These are nice little cheesy bites to go with wine.

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