Cheese & Pesto Puff Pastry Appetizers

Puff Pastry Appetizer

Frozen puff pastry sheets is one of those party staple ingredients I keep in the freezer at all times. It makes great appetizer recipes and there’s no reason to make it from scratch when you can find it at the grocery store!

It cooks up light and flaky and is a delicious base for so many other ingredients. In this case I made appetizer skewers that are cute displayed on a platter or standing upright in a glass.

The wood skewers make an easy handle and keeps hands clean. They can be served with a soup bar, with a chili bar, or with salad. It’s really an all-purpose recipe.

How to Make Them

You’ll need just 3 ingredients.

• Frozen puff pastry sheets. Packages come with 2 sheets inside. You can use both and double the recipe, or seal the package securely and keep frozen until ready to use the other sheet.
• Shredded cheese. I use parmesan for its salty nutty flavor, but you can also use Romano, Mozzarella, Gruyere, white cheddar, or Asiago.
• Prepared pesto. Using jarred pesto sauce makes this recipe quick and simple. When using it, try to drain off excess oil that gathers on top as it sits. I like using Classico brand because it’s not overly garlicky, but another good choice is Delallo.

Step 1. Start by thawing the dough according to package directions. Sprinkle a work surface with cheese and unfold the pastry onto it. Brush the pastry sheet with water as you unfold so the cheese adheres to the pastry.

Step 2. Use a rolling pin to smooth out the seams, stretch the pastry slightly, and to help press the cheese into the pastry. Spread half of the pastry with pesto and sprinkle the entire thing with the remaining cheese.

Step 3. Use a pizza cutter to roll over the puff pastry and cut 1/2-inch strips. You should get about 16 to 18 strips if you stretched the dough out a bit.

Step 4. Thread the puff pastry strips accordion-style onto the skewers. Place them on a baking sheets lined with parchment paper and bake.

Variations & Substitutions

• Sprinkle some dried Italian seasoning on top of the cheese side for extra flavor.
• Use sun-dried tomato pesto as an alternative to the traditional pesto.
• Spread a light layer of Boursin cheese as a base before adding the shredded cheese.
• Instead of using one type of cheese, use a mix of shredded cheeses like half Parmesan and half Mozzarella.
• Use both puff pastry sheets from the package and dedicate one sheet to the cheese skewers and one sheet to the pesto skewers.
• If you don’t want to put them on skewers you can roll them up into pinwheels or twist them into sticks.

Storage

Cover any leftovers tightly with aluminum foil, or in an air tight container, and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Reheat in the microwave for 15 seconds for a soft version, or in the oven at 350 degrees for 5 minutes to re-fresh their crunch.

More Recipes with Puff Pastry

There’s almost no end to the ideas you can come up with using puff pastry sheets. Here are some of my favorites.

• Ham & cheese puff pastry pinwheels
• Sesame chicken salad in puff pastry cups
• Nutella puff pastry rolls recipe

I hope you’ll head out and grab the three ingredients for these cheese and pesto puff pastry appetizers. They’re yummy for all occasions.