Oh, potlucks…
What am I going to bring?
Not another casserole.
I bet everyone’s going to bring some kind of pasta…
…or worse, we’ll only eat cookies and quick breads.
I’m sure you’ve had the same thoughts at least once when potlucks are involved. So I’ll break the mold for you and share my go-to recipe—I guess it’s more of an idea—for potlucks. It’s always a hit, pretty to look at and you can whip it up in less than an hour.
Spinach, Feta, and Artichoke Puffs
Makes 24
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion, finely minced
- 1/2 cup of thawed frozen spinach (squeeze the water out by putting the spinach in a fine sieve and pushing it down with your hands or you can put the spinach in a dish towel an wring it)
- 1/2 cup of artichoke hearts, finely sliced (I used about 3 pieces from a can)
- 2 oz of feta cheese (if using a block, cut it into 1/4 inch cubes)
- 4 oz of cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp water
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 package of puff pastry sheets, thawed in the fridge overnight or on the counter for 20 minutes. (There should be 2 pieces in a box. I used Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry.)
- Flour for dusting
Special Tools: 24 cup mini-muffin tin, basting brush, non-stick spray (non-stick spray is optional, there’s lots of butter that it doesn’t really stick.)
Spray the mini muffin tin with non-stick spray and set aside. Preheat oven to 400°F.
Heat a sauté pan, add the olive oil and caramelize the onions. Be patient… it will take about 10-15 minutes. In the meantime, prep the artichoke, spinach, feta and add it to a medium-sized bowl. When the onions are done (they’ll be nice and golden brown) add it to the bowl, add the cream cheese and mix it until well combined. Add salt and pepper to taste and the filling is DONE.
Dust a clean, flat surface with flour and place a sheet of puff pastry on top to prevent it from sticking. Keep the second sheet in the fridge so it’s easier to handle when it’s time to use it. When you open the puff pastry, you will find that it naturally splits Pretty presentation for the tea party.[/caption]
Looks delicious! Pinning 🙂
Does no one make their own puff pastry? It’s as easy as making this filling for it, especially if you have a food processor in which to make the initial combination of butter and flour (while keeping the butter frigid). Puff pastry is one of the most elegant of presentations, yet it can be made by anyone who understands the basic concept of combining butter and flour without warming up the butter. It is not time consuming, it does not have a high fail ratio (again, if you remember that everything has to be COLD). And, once you do it, you’ll laugh at your silly self that once used the distinctly inferior purchased varieties of the form!