Puff pastry can be used to make very fancy looking sweet tarts and turnovers, but the substitution of a savory filling makes a very easy but spectacular looking and tasting party appetizer. The preparation is as simple as lining a muffin pan with thin pastry, adding the filling of your choice, topping with a spoon of custard to hold it all together and baking.

The spinach filling is very much like that used for Greek phyllo turnovers, spanokopita, but this version is so much easier to make and has the same flavors without the time consuming and tricky use of the impossibly thin phyllo sheets.

Savory Puff Appetizers
1 sheet (1/2 package) puff pastry, thawed selected filling and cheese

Egg custard
3 eggs
1/4 cup flour
2/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Put ingredients into a small bowl and whisk until smooth.

Lightly flour counter and rolling pin and unfold one sheet of puff pastry and roll out to a rectangle slightly larger than 12” by 15”. Trim the edges (a pizza cutter works well) and cut into 20 3 inch squares. Spray each 2 1/2 inch wide well of a cupcake pan with a generous amount of non-stick cooking spray and line each cup with one square of pastry. Don’t try to shape the pastry to the cup, just leave the four corners standing up evenly. Divide filling among the 20 wells and top with a tablespoon of custard mix. Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes until lightly brown and puffed. When done, remove pans and run a knife around each well to loosen pastry. Let cool slightly and serve.

Fillings
Chili-jack:
6 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 7 oz. can fire-roasted green chilis, drained and patted dry
2 jalapeno chilis, finely diced
Divide grated cheese among the pastry lined wells and top with both chilis. Spoon one tablespoon of custard over all and bake.

Sausage and Mushroom:
6 oz. hot or regular bulk sausage
10 to 14 large cremini mushrooms, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground sage
1/2 tsp dried thyme
Saute sausage and mushrooms, garlic and seasonings in olive oil until brown. Divide mixture among cups and top with custard and bake

Artichoke and Parmesan:
1 10 oz. box frozen artichoke hearts, sautéed in
olive oil and garlic, minced
4 ozs. grated Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Divide Jack cheese among wells, layer with diced artichokes and custard. Top with grated parmesan and bake.

Margarita:
8 sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, drained and diced
6 ozs. grated mozzarella cheese,(fresh buffalo milk, if available)
1 tsp dried oregano, added to custard
Mix diced tomatoes and cheese and fill wells. Top with custard and bake.

Spinach and Ricotta:
1 6 oz. bag of baby spinach, blanched, squeezed dry and minced
1 cup drained ricotta cheese
1 beaten egg
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp grated lemon zest
Mix the above ingredients and fill the tarts. Top with custard and 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

Courtesy of:
Real Estate & Living
www.somocorealestate.com