I have a big weakness for anything made with puff pastry.  I’m not even sure the word weakness is strong enough, I really love the stuff.  I also love appetizers/hors d’oeuvres, so this recipe is a favorite of mine. I made these on new year’s eve to tide us over until dinner was done and they did the trick!  In addition to the spinach and feta ones, I also did some with just a cinnamon sugar filling that were great too!

You can buy puff pastry dough at most grocery stores, I know Pepperage Farm has one that is pretty good, but if you can find Dufour brand, and are willing to pay their astronomical prices, you won’t regret it. It is out of this world delicious, and I almost think it would be as good without a filling. I found it at my local small, family owned, gourmet-ish grocery.  These pastry doughs usually come in sheets, either folded or rolled up, and are stored in the freezer.  Be sure to read the package instructions and defrost in the fridge appropriately (usually 2-3 hours before you want to use them) before you start cooking.

Step 1: Cook a half slice of bacon, cut into strips, in a frying pan until it has released all its grese and is very crispy.  Then add about 1 cup of frozen spinach and cook with the bacon until the spinach is fully warmed through and not very wet.  Remove the bacon from the mixture and sprinkle with a little salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Transfer to a bowl and add a half cup of feta cheese and stir. Set aside to cool.

Step 2: Remove the defrosted pastry dough from the fridge and unfold the amount you will use. For 1 cup spinach you need about half a package of Dufour, or piece about 12 inches by 6 inches.  Lay the dough on a lightly floured cutting board or silpat mat, and lightly sprinkle the top side with flour too. There are a lot of ways to fill the dough, and as you can see in the picture above I tried out a number of ways.  My favorite ones were where I took a 2 inch square of dough and put about a tablespoon of the spinach mixture in the middle. Then I took each end and pulled it to the middle and pressed the dough together in the center of the filling so that they all met in a point in the middle, but it left some of the spinach showing between the pastry.  Another good way is to use the same amount of filling on a square, and bring only two of the opposite corners to the middle, and join them so it looks like a taco.  I also cut out longer thin strips of dough (about an inch by 3 inches) and then spread a thin layer of filling on the whole piece, and then roll it like a jelly roll.  But they all ended up tasting the same so its really just about which one you think looks best.

Step 3: Place the formed snacks onto a cookie sheet and cook at 375 degrees until they are quite brown and solid. This will depend a lot on the brand you use and your oven’s heat, so keep an eye on them after about 8 minutes.