Versatile Puff Pastry To The Rescue

I keep frozen puff pastry in my freezer, always. It's my no panic emergency, showy chic meal that I haven't even thought of yet. The breakfast, lunch or dinner everyone will rave about and think you spent hours preparing. Go savory...go sweet...puff pastry will save the day in a huge way. Here are a few examples of puff pastry genius. You can take it from here and let your imagination be you guide. Create the oohs and awes of your next brunch, lunch or dinner. You'll want to keep a few in the freezer as well. Enjoy!

Basically you'll need:
1 package of thawed puff pastry. Keep refrigerated until use!
1 egg + a little water for the egg wash (beaten)
And any of the ingredients below, depending on what you want to make.
eggs
bacon
sausage
pats of butter
cheddar, pepper Jack, or Monterrey Jack cheese
cooked potatoes
cooked broccoli
cooked cabbage
Italian sausage
pepperoni
mozzarella cheese
steak
BBQ pulled pork or chicken
assorted fruit jams or preserves , strawberry, blueberry, lemon, etc.
jarred Alfredo sauce
jarred Marinara sauce
mushrooms
brown gravy in a jar
sun dried tomatoes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Unfold frozen puff pastry and roll just enough to get the creases out. Cut into desired shapes.Brush dough with egg wash. Sprinkle each piece with cheese of choice, cooked sausage or bacon, and crack an egg on top. Arrange on a baking sheet, reduce heat to 375 degrees F. Bake savories for about 15 to 20 minutes or until crust is golden and egg whites are set. Serve with a salad for brunch, sausage for breakfast if not added to the pastry or cottage fries for a perfectly gorgeous meal.

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OMG Danish! Hot out of the oven. Roll out puff pastry, again, just enough to get out folds. But don't worry too much because you're going to be cutting the pastry. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut pastry into 2 inch wide strips (the shortest distance across). Twist 3 strips together and shape into a round nest. Place all of the rounds on a baking sheet and brush with egg wash. Fill each nest with your favorite pie filling. Lemon, raspberry, cherry, pineapple, apple or complete pumpkin pie filling. Bake at 400 degrees for about twenty minutes or until golden. They'll think you spent hours creating these insanely delicious treats. : )

How can you go wrong with a more chic answer to the pizza pocket? You can't! Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Roll out puff pastry to remove the fold creases and cut into desired squares or shapes. Dip you finger into a small bowl of water and brush the edges with your finger tip about 1/2 inch all the way around your pastry. Fill with your favorite ingredients such as BBQ pulled pork, chicken Alfredo, Potato and cheese or how about Eggs, bacon or sausage or ham and cheese.  Italian sausage, pepperoni, sun dried tomatoes, mozzarella, cheese in marinara sauce, steak and mushroom...well, the ideas are endless.  Dip finger in water and dampen all edges with water to form a seal. Fill your flaky puff pockets with 2 to 3 tablespoons of filling. Add a top and press the edges together. Use a fork to lightly fuse the bottom and top together. It's just pretty! : ) Remember if you are cutting shapes such as leaves for the fall or hearts for V-day, you may need to use a smaller amount of filling. If it's too much, just remove a bit and seal. Cut a couple of slits in the top for air vents. .Brush with egg wash and refrigerate about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from refrigerator and bake at 400 degrees or until golden.  Wow, yummy posh looking dish in minutes. Serve with salad or chips and enjoy!

Unwrap puff pastry and cut into 2 inch wide strips.Roll strips like you would if you were making a snake : ) Wrap pastry strips around your favorite hot dogs  to create the effect shown in the picture above. You can cut them into 1/3's 1/2's or leave them whole. Brush with egg wash and bake at 400 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Great with home fries, potato salad or sweet potato chips. Yum it up and create your own repertoire of puff pastry dishes.

♥ Kit

Kit's Rustic Tomato Tart

For the dough:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
pinch of salt
7 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cut in cubes
1/2 cup heavy cream

For the Filling:
4 to 5 tomatoes, peeled and sliced Heirloom are especially delish, I like using cherry, pear, grape tomatoes, and a mix of Roma and slicing tomatoes.

A light handful fresh basil leaves,  rolled and sliced chiffonade. 1/2 cup leeks, cleaned, mixed green and white, sliced 

1 cup mozzarella, shredded, extra for sprinkling on dough
1 cup cheddar, shredded
1 cup mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Add flour and butter into the processor bowl and pulse. Once combined, slowly add the cream while still pulsing the flour mixture, Keep adding the cream until the dough comes together. Remove the dough from the food processor and move to a lightly floured surface. Gently knead the dough a few times until it is smooth and into a ball. Wrap up the dough with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the tomatoes in a colander over a bowl or sink. Sprinkle with salt and drain for 15 to 20 minutes.
Flour surface and roll out cold dough into a circular shape, about 10 inches.

In a skillet on medium heat, add sliced leeks and cook until soft and tender. Remove from pan,cool.

Layer the tomato slices, basil, and leeks in tart. Season with salt and pepper. Combine the shredded cheeses and mayonnaise together. Spread mixture on top of the tomatoes and pull edges of tart over the filling roughly. Place on a sheet pan and bake 35 minutes or until lightly browned and done. Add additional cheese when done if needed and garnish with herbs of choice. Slice and serve warm with a fresh salad.

Detroit Coney Island Hot Dog

My dad was a Chef but at home he cooked regular food. This is about one of the meals I never figured out. We always had a block of Frozen Chili on the house. I vaguely remember my big brother putting in a sauce pan and thawing it out.

When I went into the military and was living on my own I knew what to do when I wanted chili. These bricks are easy to find in any freezer section of the market.

After thawing and bringing the chili to a boil, I found some crackers a bowl, a big spoon and was ready to chow down.

Yuck. What? Why did I ever think this was good? Maybe the brand was wrong? Maybe I didn't pay close attention. I don't know but soon I gave up and found a real recipe for chili. Fail.

Last week I found myself in Detroit/Pontiac MI and had to drive a 7 mile stretch of road called Walton Blvd. It was a busy street but I noticed many restaurants and a good percentage of them were either closed or up for sale. The other thing I noticed was that the names of the open and busy ones were, "The Stuffed Bun,

The Classic Coney Kitchen, Nikko's Koney Kitchen, Bob E's Big Chief (The One With The Toasted Bun)."  It was weird seeing pizza joints closed down while there were nice restaurants dedicated to hot dogs.

I mentioned this to one local and heard more than I ever wanted about the Coney Island Dog and how it was a serious Michigan tradition. I called home and my very wise wife tasked me to go have a Coney and report back. :)

At lunch the next day I stopped at Nikkos. I tasted a Coney and then a Loose Coney. I knew I had to ignore how I felt and think about what this actually was. The Coney was a chili dog, a natural encased hot dog on a fresh bun . The Loose Coney was hot dog bun with seasoned ground beef covered with a layer of thin chili sauce. Both had a strip of yellow mustard for a wisp of acidity and covering of diced sweet onions. Ok, got it. I now know what these guys like and I can now report back, Good.

But how I felt? OMG!!! After years, I finally remember what that brick of frozen chili was about. The memory came back fully and was complete. My brother would boil a pack of hot dogs, then thaw and heat the chili. One day. every couple of weeks we had Chili dogs on Wonder Bread hot dog buns. This is was that brick was for, NOT chili, it was actually chili sauce.

Today I made a Detroit Coney and that first bite brought me back, way back.. It made me realize that my dad had taught my brother (1 year older) how to cook dinner for his 9 and 7 year old brother and sister. This was a bite full of memories. Not just childhood memories but good memories.

I think I now really get the definition of Comfort Food.

The Celebrations of Spring!

Spring is in the air. It's a ways off, but close enough that I can begin to plan for the little celebrations it will bring. I love this time of year. The thought keeps me going through the last of the cold winter days. There is still a crispness in the early morning air and a promise of rain showers that will serve to nurture the tiny new shoots of spring flowers that are beginning to peek from beneath the earth.

 And, there's nothing sweeter than new born baby animals reminding us that there is promise and rebirth and a newness in this world. I love the sounds of birds chirping and working tirelessly on their nest. I'll be working on our spring nest, too and bringing you some fresh ideas for your home and garden.

It's a time to freshen up your grocery list with smart buys,  add new light desserts and easy dinner menus, colorful flower arrangements and table settings.

Marti Gras shows first in March with the colorful celebrations of New Orleans. One of my all time favorite haunts. I want to show you some of the classics dishes of Fat Tuesday and some of the fabulous sights of the Big Easy, my surrogate home away from home.

 My twin daughters birthdays are at the beginning of March. Our most important celebration of the month. I can't wait to show you what I have in mind for the special day. I think they'll love it, too. Ash Wednesday will also fall on my daughters Birthday. I've been looking forward to sharing some of the foods and traditions this holiday.

And last but not least comes St. Patty's day. Just wait until you see what I have in store. The perfect Irish stew and much, much more. And this is just the beginning of spring.  So stay tuned for all the new Kit loves Caz post to come, full of recipes, eye candy and ideas to make your everyday, extraordinary.

Remember to love deeply and enjoy the little things in life. XX Kit~