Puff Pastry Appetizers on a Budget - 4 Ways

REMINDER: Puff pastry works best when it’s cold so don’t take it out of the fridge until you have everything ready to roll, cut and assemble the puff. 

1. Unwrap one sheet of the store-bought puff pastry dough – carefully – it’s a little delicate. Unfold it gently and remove the paper. The creases are a little vulnerable so use a rolling pin to roll over the creases a little. Roll horizontally and vertically and make sure the dough is even when you’re done. 
2. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, you’ll need to cut 20 squares of dough. That means you’ll need to make four cuts across the bottom. Do a pre-cut to make sure they are mostly even. Then make the four full cuts. Turn your cutting board clockwise, and make three cuts in the opposite direction. This will give you four squares across and five down for 20 squares. (MY VIDEO SHOWS THIS WELL) It doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s puff pastry and if they are uneven now, no one will know later. 
3. Spray a mini-muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray, then place one square of dough in each muffin slot. 
4. Using a measuring spoon, add one teaspoon of pepper jelly into each puff pastry. 
5. The cream cheese was a little messy so if you have gloves, wear those. I used a ½ tablespoon measuring spoon and scooped the cream cheese right from the package and placed on top of the pepper jelly. 
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. 
7. The pepper jelly oozes out a bit so use a mini spatula or butter knife and run around the edges before carefully removing puffs from the tin.   
8. Serve on a plate or platter with a small ramekin of extra jelly if people want a little more sweetness. Garnishing with fresh thyme sprigs is optional.

REMINDER: Puff pastry works best when it’s cold so don’t take it out of the fridge until you have everything ready to roll, cut and assemble the puff.

1. Take five mozzarella rounds and cut each round into four pieces (almost like a pie shape). You should have 20 smaller pieces of cheese that fit well in the puff pastry. You can really use any cheese you want. I like using a more solid cheese because it takes slightly longer to melt and cook time it 15-20 minutes.
2. Count out 10 pepperoni slices and put them in a stack. I bought a small bag at the store – they freeze well so you can use the rest for something else. Cut the stack of pepperoni slices in half to make 20 pieces of pepperoni. (because we're making 20 pizza puffs) 🙂
3. Unwrap one sheet of the store-bought puff pastry dough – carefully – it’s a little delicate. Unfold it gently and remove the paper. The creases are a little vulnerable so use a rolling pin to roll over the creases a little. Roll horizontally and vertically and make sure the dough is even when you’re done. 
4. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, you’ll need to cut 20 squares of dough. That means you’ll need to make four cuts across the bottom. Do a pre-cut to make sure they are mostly even. Then make the four full cuts. Turn your cutting board clockwise, and make three cuts in the opposite direction. This will give you four squares across and five down for 20 squares. (MY VIDEO SHOWS THIS WELL) It doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s puff pastry and if they are uneven now, no one will know later. 
5. Spray a mini-muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray, then place one square of dough in each muffin slot. 
6. Spoon about ¼ teaspoon of pizza sauce into each puff pastry. It can probably hold a little more than that, but I didn’t want to risk it bubbling over and burning. Plus, serving some on the side is fun so people can dip in sauce if they want. 
7. Add one piece of cheese to each puff. 
8. Place the pepperoni on top of the cheese. 
9. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. 
10. Use a mini spatula or butter knife and run it around the edges before pulling out. The cheese oozes a little so they will stick a bit. Serve on a plate or platter with a small ramekin of sauce I the middle for dipping. Optional, but if you want to garnish with a light dusting of parmesan cheese go for it.

REMINDER: Puff pastry works best when it’s cold so don’t take it out of the fridge until you have everything ready to roll, cut and assemble the puff.

1. Place four mild Italian sausage in a saute pan. Add a glug or two of olive oil and rub the sausage around to coat. Put the lid on and cook on low-to-medium heat for about 20-25 minutes, turning several times to brown on all sides.
2. Once the sausage are cooked through, place them on a couple of paper towels to blot them and remove any oil/grease. This is mostly so we don’t get the puff pastry greasy. Cut the sausage into 20 rounds (about ½” thick). I didn’t use the end pieces and ate them as a snack. J Let sausage cool to room temp before assembling the puffs. You can stick them in the freezer for a few minutes (just don’t forget them!!)
3. Unwrap one sheet of the store-bought puff pastry dough – carefully – it’s a little delicate. Unfold it gently and remove the paper. The creases are a little vulnerable so use a rolling pin to roll over the creases a little. Roll horizontally and vertically and make sure the dough is even when you’re done.
4. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, you’ll need to cut 20 squares of dough. That means you’ll need to make four cuts across the bottom. Do a pre-cut to make sure they are mostly even. Then make the four full cuts. Turn your cutting board clockwise, and make three cuts in the opposite direction. This will give you four squares across and five down for 20 squares. (MY VIDEO SHOWS THIS WELL) It doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s puff pastry and if they are uneven now, no one will know later.
5. Spray a mini-muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray, then place one square of dough in each muffin slot.
6. Add a dollop of mustard to each puff. Maybe about ¼ to ½ teaspoon each. I found it was easier to use a regular metal spoon for this.
7. Place one piece of sausage in each puff.
8. Cook in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes until puffs are golden brown.
9. Transfer to a serving plate or platter with a small ramekin of Dijon mustard. If you have fresh parsley on hand you can chop some for garnish which is optional.

REMINDER: Puff pastry works best when it’s cold so don’t take it out of the fridge until you have everything ready to roll, cut and assemble the puff.

1. Peel a small chunk of ginger - set aside. 
2. Chop fresh cilantro down fine. If you don’t like cilantro use basil. 
3. Put the ground pork in a bowl and add: salt, grate fresh garlic right into the bowl with a microplane (or mince first then add), grate fresh ginger right into the bowl, soy sauce, cilantro (or basil). Mix well with your hands and cover the bowl. Let it marinate for 30 minutes. 
4. When pork is ready, on medium-to-high heat add some oil in a pan (maybe 1 tablespoon) and let it get hot. Add pork and break it up with spatula continuously while cooking until it’s crumbly. It only takes a few minutes to cook. Set aside and let it cool before assembling the puffs. You can stick it in the freezer to cool, just don’t forget about it. 
5. Unwrap one sheet of the store-bought puff pastry dough – carefully – it’s a little delicate. Unfold it gently and remove the paper. The creases are a little vulnerable so use a rolling pin to roll over the creases a little. Roll horizontally and vertically and make sure the dough is even when you’re done. 
6. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, you’ll need to cut 20 squares of dough. That means you’ll need to make four cuts across the bottom. Do a pre-cut to make sure they are mostly even. Then make the four full cuts. Turn your cutting board clockwise, and make three cuts in the opposite direction. This will give you four squares across and five down for 20 squares. (MY VIDEO SHOWS THIS WELL) It doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s puff pastry and if they are uneven now, no one will know later. 
7. Spray a mini-muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray, then place one square of dough in each muffin slot. 
8. Transfer half a tablespoon of the pork mixture to each puff. I used my ½ tablespoon measuring spoon to measure exactly. I’m mentioning that because there was just enough for the 20 puffs. 
9. Once the puffs are filled, bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. 
10. Transfer to a serving tray and garnish with the extra cilantro. If you have scallions on hand you can chop a little for more garnish. For dipping you could mix a little honey and soy sauce together or serve with sriracha on the side if you like it a little spicy.