How easy and elegant is this appetizer?  You can get creative and use any kind of spreadable savory combination.  My favorites include: olive tapenade, pesto, sun dried tomato spread and this one which involves pureed mushrooms and herbs.  I wouldn’t dream of making my own puff pastry as I find Dufour and even Pepperidge Farms to be fine.

Ingredients:

·       One rectangular sheet puff pastry, thawed

·       2 tablespoons olive oil

·       1 pound cremini mushrooms, chopped

·       1 shallot, chopped

·       2 cloves garlic, chopped

·       ¼ cup of Marsala wine or 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce

·       ½ teaspoon rosemary

·       ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted

·       ½ cup Pecorino Romano cheese

·       Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Lay out the puff pastry sheet on a parchment lined baking sheet.

In a sauté pan, sauté mushrooms and shallot in the olive oil over medium heat, stirring now and then.  Once the mushrooms sweat out their liquid and it starts to evaporate, add the chopped garlic and stir for another minute.  Add the Marsala or Worcestershire sauce and stir again.  Add the rosemary, pine nuts, cheese and black pepper and transfer to a food processor.  Grind into a paste and add the black pepper to taste.  It should be salty enough because of the cheese, so I don’t advise adding more.

Spread the mushroom paste, or any of the other options suggested above, over the puff pastry.  Roll both long sides in towards the center until they touch.  Wrap up and freeze until ready to use. 

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400°F.  Take the log from the freezer and slice into ¼ inch slices. Arrange pieces on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes.