Here are the two most common results of misreading a recipe: either you get a disaster - my most typical outcome - but occasionally you get a treasure - a rare but delightful occurrence. I preach and preach about reading a recipe beginning to end before making it, but forget to add in the part about reading it correctly – not just seeing what you want because the ingredients are already in your kitchen. It would be nice to call all end results a “recipe testing experiment”, but I fear I’ve done that too often and it’s starting to lack credibility, meaning no one in my family believes me or will eat it. But recently that magic moment did happen where a mix up with ingredients yielded a delicious result, so much so, that the “recipe” has now been made many times with those consuming the end product insisting that they adore the recipe and it should be blogged!
The thing is, both phyllo dough and puff pastry come from the freezer section at the grocery in those long boxes that kind of look alike. I know that sounds silly since the item is actually pictured on the front of the package, plus, in no way are they similar, except for being a kind of dough product. But I saw a recipe and wanted to make little snack crackers to serve with drinks and I grabbed a package, not the one the recipe called for, out of the freezer to thaw. Then there was also a cheese issue, the recipe was quite clear, but what the heck – everyone likes Gruyere right? Well also there wasn’t a part of the recipe that mentioned garlic, but I assume that was merely an oversight or a misprint. That happens sometimes don’t you think?
Anyway no one said they wouldn’t eat these yummy little bites and the plate was almost empty before I could snag one. You’ll love these. The recipes for the new book, You’re Grown- Now You Can Throw A Party, are all in place ready to go visit the editor, but this little gem came along too late. Still, you’ll want to bake these - we call them Puffy Cheese Bites - little crackers – then you can at least get the party started! Enjoy!
Ingredients
1 box puff pastry, thawed (two rolls of pastry dough)
2 beaten egg whites
2 Tbsp black sesame seeds
2 Tbsp white sesame seeds
1 tsp granulated garlic
½ cup Gruyere cheese, grated
1 Tbsp flakey salt (Maldon or other)
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Roll out both rolls of puff pastry and flatten slightly with a rolling pin.
Place puff pastry on the baking sheets and prick each one several times with a fork.
Brush both with egg whites and sprinkle with equal amounts of seeds, garlic and top with cheese.
Bake until puffed and slightly browned.
It REALLY puffs so let it cool a few minutes before cutting.
Cut into 1-inch squares (bite size) with a sharp knife or pizza cutter.
Sprinkle with salt.
