Whenever I use puff pastry, I feel like I’m cheating. I’ve made it from scratch several times on my own, only to be disappointed with the results (aka no “puff”). It’s one of my guilty supermarket shortcuts, along with ketchup, tomato paste, and several others. You *can* make these things yourself, but weighed against the amount of extra energy and the outcome, sometimes you have to pick your battles in the kitchen.
Where was I? Oh yes, puff pastry. It’s a great receptacle of many veggies, meats, fruits, you name it. Recently a fellow gardener had shown me this link from Chef Club, perhaps you have also seen it? I loved the idea of a puff pastry crown, and used the concept with a totally different filling. Please feel free to change it up, but here is roughly the filling I used.
Ingredients:
- 2 eggplant, sliced into 1/4-1/2 inch semi-circle slices
- 1/2 patty pan squash, cubed
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1/4 cup basil leaves, cut into thin ribbons
- 1 egg white, beaten
- 1 full sheet of puff pastry
- 1 tbsp grated Parmagiano Reggiano
- 1/3 cup springdell tomato sauce with ground beef
- Amish Roll Butter for Sauté
- 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese
If you are working with square puff pastry, place it on a circular plate and cut off the corners of your square to round it out. Transfer this sheet to a cookie sheet before continuing, as it’s much harder to move this later on (I learned that one the hard way).
Liberally salt eggplant slices and let them rest to allow time for excess moisture to drain, an hour is best, but a few minutes also works. Wipe off excess salt and moisture. Sauté until just tender, along with patty pan squash. Toss in some basil and whatever else looks good. Layer around the edge of your “wreath”.
Invert a bowl into the center of the wreath, press lightly enough to cause a slight impression on the dough, but not enough to cut through.
Sprinkle your concoction with cheese, remove the bowl and cut small slices into the center circle of the dough as shown.
Lift each triangle away from the center and up over itself. Paint the flaps of dough with your egg wash.
Heat for 350 for about 25 minutes or until golden brown. A quick trip under the broiler can also help with achieving the golden brown appearance.
Transfer to a plate, cool slightly and dig in! Thanks for the inspiration, Chef’s club! Hope you like this one as much as we did!