What’s sweet, flaky, salty, and crunchy?
These fig & blue cheese pinwheels!
I am in week two of a store bought pastry theme. It wasn’t intentional, but as I made Lazy Baklava, my mind wandered to puff pastry. Although I like to master almost every baked good I encounter, puff pastry is one of the few items where I have not attempted that challenge.
I have wondered why I haven’t done so. I have tried other items that people deem to be challenging: bagels, soufflés, macarons. And yet, I have let puff pastry remain an item that I buy. I think it comes down to a matter of time, money, and taste economics.
I recognize that puff pastry will require a good amount of time to make, as well as a good number of ingredients. However, they didn’t stop me when I made macarons. The biggest contributing factor to my decision is a matter of taste economics. (I have no idea if “taste economics” is a thing, but it’s the phrasing I created when thinking about puff pastry.)
Let me explain. If I make a soufflé or macarons, I will enjoy the actual product as is. As I savor every bite of the macaron, I will know it was worth the time spent and ingredients purchased. If I make puff pastry, it will be used as a delivery vehicle for other ingredients. Its task is to be a flaky, buttery base. While that’s a delicious task to have, it’s not the star ingredient. A store bought replacement will work just fine.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that in the future I can’t change my mind. Maybe on a dreary weekend day, I’ll buy all the ingredients and try to make homemade puff pastry. Maybe I’ll be amazingly successful on my first try. (Fingers crossed already)
If I do, I’m pretty sure that first batch will be eaten as simply as possible, topped with a little butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon-sugar.
Until then, I’m going to use store bought puff pastry and make scrumptious appetizers, such as these fig and blue cheese pinwheels. And I will enjoy every single bite.
Fig & Blue Cheese Pinwheels
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup homemade fig jam*
- 1 sheet puff pastry defrosted
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup blue cheese
- 1 egg whisked
- honey optional
Instructions
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Roll puff pastry into 10”x12” rectangle.
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Spread 1/4 cup fig jam on puff pastry.
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Top jam with walnuts and blue cheese crumbled, leaving 1-inch margin on one long side.
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Brush the margin with egg wash.
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Roll the dough, starting on the long side with no margin.
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Seal by firmly pressing the egg washed-edge against the pinwheel.
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Place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
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Preheat oven to 375° while dough chills.
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Remove from freezer, and cut into 20 slices.
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Place on a parchment paper-lined baking tray, leaving an inch between each.
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Brush with egg wash.
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Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.
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Drizzle honey on pinwheels, if desired.
Notes
