We hosted friends and family for dinner during the holidays, and I loved having the excuse to make a few festive nibbles to share before the main meal.
Have you ever played around with frozen puff pastry? It’s a great raw material to have on hand if you’re making appetizers. There are three widely available brands of frozen puff pastry: Dufour and Trader Joe’s are both made with all-butter, while Pepperidge Farm (which I used for this recipe) is made with vegetable shortening. I haven’t baked with Trader Joe’s version, but will pick up a package next time I’m there.
I made this recipe for simple puff pastry appetizers twice during the holidays—they’re that good. The recipe is based on our favorite homemade pizza with prosciutto and arugula. Thaw a sheet of pastry, scatter the toppings, roll it up, slice and bake. Easy!
prosciutto arugula puff pastry pinwheels
(makes about 2 dozen)
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed per package directions
3 slices prosciutto
1 cup grated Fontina
1 cup (lightly packed) arugula
freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured work surface, unroll the puff pastry sheet. Layer the prosciutto slices over the pastry, leaving a 1/2-inch uncovered border at the top edge of the pastry. Scatter the cheese over the prosciutto, then season generously with pepper. Scatter the arugula on top. Tightly roll the filled pastry up, jelly roll-style; pinch the edge to seal. Wrap the roll in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes or so to make slicing easier (if you're in a hurry, you can skip this step). Slice the pastry roll into 1/2-inch rounds and arrange them on the lined baking sheet. Bake for 20–22 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and the cheese bubbles.
