Avocado-, Cream Cheese- and Salsa-Stuffed Puff Pastries
Small pockets of delicious stuff make for perfect appetizer bites, about two per person. I added crumbled bacon to some of them because … well, bacon! It paired great with the chutney.
Makes about 9 to 12 puffs, depending on size of squares and how thin the dough is rolled 1 large sheet puffed pastry, thawed
1 ripe avocado, halved and mashed (about 1 tablespoon per pastry square)
1/3 cup cream cheese (about 1 teaspoon per pastry square)
1/3 cup salsa verde (about 1 teaspoon per pastry square) 1/3 cup mango ginger chutney (about 1 teaspoon per square)
3 slices cooked bacon, crumbled (optional)
Salt and pepper, sprinkled to taste
1 egg, beaten or 2 tablespoons butter
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or coat them well with vegetable oil spray.
Flour a work surface and roll out the pastry square as thinly as possible. With a pizza cutter or knife, slice the puffed pastry into about 2-inch squares. From the one thinly rolled large sheet, you should get 18 to 24 squares.
On half the squares (9 to 12), place a dollop of avocado, then cream cheese, then salsa and chutney. Put a few bacon crumbles on top, if desired, and season with salt and pepper. Use the remaining squares as the lids, placing one lid over the filling mounds. (If you need to use a little less avocado, salsa and chutney in order to cover the squares, that’s fine. You can also use either salsa or chutney instead of both).
Seal the pastry packages by pressing the edges with a fork, taking care to seal the edges well, so no filling escapes during baking.
In a small bowl, beat an egg with a fork and apply an egg wash. If you prefer melted butter for a more buttery taste and browning, melt the butter and brush on puffs instead.
Bake in preheated oven 15 to 20 minutes, or until desired browning and puffing has occurred. Watch them closely after 12 minutes in case your oven is hotter or your brand of puff pastry cooks faster.
Remove from oven and serve. Pastries are best fresh, but extras will keep for up to 48 hours airtight in the refrigerator; reheat gently in oven before serving.