Pear and Taleggio Cheese Puff Pastry Appetizer
This lovely little appetizer is also great for breakfast the day after. The secret to the unusual flavor is the high-quality ingredients, especially the cheese. Taleggio cheese is a washed rind cheese that comes from northern Italy. It has a strong smell yet a mild flavor, much like brie cheese. It's best to discard the funky rind. Search out an all-butter puff pastry. Then pair it all with firm Comice or Anjou pears—Accentuate with honey, thyme leaves, flakey salt, and ground black and red peppercorns.
9 servings
INGREDIENTS:
1 puff pastry sheet (all-butter), thawed
9 (1-inch) squares Taleggio Cheese, rind removed, sliced (about 3 ½ ounces)
3 Comice pears, peeled, cored, sliced
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon honey or more
Fresh thyme leaves
Fresh ground black pepper
Fresh ground red peppercorns
Flakey sea salt
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a sheet pan with a Silpat mat or parchment paper.
Place the puff pastry on a lightly floured cutting board. Cut into equal three-by-three squares. Transfer each square to the prepared sheet pan.
Create an indented well in the center of puff pastry squares to lay the cheese, leaving a one-half-inch raised border on the sides. Brush the pastry edges with the beaten egg. Top with a slice of cheese, followed by three sliced pears. Drizzle a small amount of honey over the pears with a fork. Top with thyme leaves, black pepper, and red peppercorns.
Place pan in the oven. Rotate the front of the sheet pan to the back of the oven after fifteen minutes. Bake until the crust is puffed and golden brown, about twenty-five to thirty minutes. Remove from the oven, drizzle with more honey, and sprinkle with the flakey salt and more peppercorn grinds. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Pear and Taleggio Cheese Puff Pastry Appetizer
Ingredients
- 1 puff pastry sheet (all-butter), thawed
- 9 (1-inch) squares Taleggio Cheese, rind removed, sliced (about 3 ½ ounces)
- 3 Comice pears, peeled, cored, sliced
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tablespoon honey or more
- Fresh thyme leaves
- Fresh ground black pepper
- Fresh ground red peppercorns
- Flakey sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a sheet pan with a Silpat mat or parchment paper.
- Place the puff pastry on a lightly floured cutting board. Cut into equal three-by-three squares. Transfer each square to the prepared sheet pan.
- Create an indented well in the center of puff pastry squares to lay the cheese, leaving a one-half-inch raised border on the sides. Brush the pastry edges with the beaten egg. Top with a slice of cheese, followed by three sliced pears. Drizzle a small amount of honey over the pears with a fork. Top with thyme leaves, black pepper, and red peppercorns.
- Place pan in the oven. Rotate the front of the sheet pan to the back of the oven after fifteen minutes. Bake until the crust is puffed and golden brown, about twenty-five to thirty minutes. Remove from the oven, drizzle with more honey, and sprinkle with the flakey salt and more peppercorn grinds. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
201Fat (grams)
11 gSat. Fat (grams)
3 gCarbs (grams)
23 gFiber (grams)
2 gNet carbs
21 gSugar (grams)
8 gProtein (grams)
3 gSodium (milligrams)
109 mgCholesterol (grams)
19 mgThe information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.