Puff the Magic Pastry

Quick and Easy Potpie

     I don’t recall what inspired me to buy puff pastry for the first time. All I know is my life changed. Such a simple thing and so versatile. Sweet or savory. Simple and yet elegant. It can be dressed up or down according the occasion.  

Spinach Puffs

     Last night I used it for a quick and easy veggie potpie. Normally I’d break out the food processor and whip up a pie crust of my own but- I just didn’t feel like the extra step. Instead I went to the freezer, pulled out a sheet to thaw, and began working on my lentil and roasted vegetable filling. Easy enough. 

     A few months ago I had people over for a game night. This being the bay, I needed diet restriction options: vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free. I try to be respectful of guests but short of religious or medical conditions I usually draw the line at vegetarian/vegan. Puff pastry made the vegetarian dishes easy. Spinach puffs and savory palmiers required very little attention; even so, everyone ohed and ahed over the spread when each of them took about 15 minutes of prep and roughly the same to bake.  

Sweet Palmiers

     The palmiers are my biggest problem. I’m usually a sucker for savory over sweet- a steak and loaded potato over cake and ice cream any day- but fresh palmiers…fresh palmiers are like a little slice of private joy. Melting sugar and flaking dough elegance in about 10 minutes start to finish! I gained 20 pounds last year and I strongly believe that at least seven of those pounds are from eating a full pan of palmiers (most recipes are the same here with varying amounts of sugar, with or without cinnamon, i add a pinch of salt to balance out the sweet) fresh from the oven. They never make it a second day.

     The reality is, puff pastry is so easy to use and so versatile in how it can be used. I keep it as standard fare in my kitchen. On nights when the pantry and fridge are almost bare I can scrape what’s left on top of puff pastry and make a flatbread; when it’s cold I can make a pouch and stuff it with cheese or meat or veggies (or all of the above); and when time is short and I have no desire to break out the mixer, I can produce a fancy looking dessert…and so can you.