Just Baking

I was recently given the opportunity to review a cookbook with 175 recipes using puff pastry.  Now before you stop reading, give me just a few more minutes.  I wasn’t big on puff pastry either - I had a few boxes in the freezer that I had bought on sale, thinking some day I’d use it for something.  That day came and went (as did the expiration date) and I tossed the poor boxes.  Now I have been given a second chance with the frozen royalty of the pastry world.

Camilla V. Saulbury’s Puff Pastry Perfection is clearly and very-well written, especially for us novice puff pastry bakers.  Saulsbury introduces the book with the history of, definition and tips for success when using frozen pastry sheets.  She also includes a list of tools you’ll need when working with the dough.

This book features over 175 recipes, including appetizers, main dishes like pot pies, quiches and pizza, and a plethora of sweet desserts and breakfast items.  As soon as I recieved the cookbook, I must have dog-eared twenty pages and for good reason - I’ve already tried five recipes since recieving the cookbook a week ago and every one of them was a hit.  So far the Roasted Pepper Ricotta Puffs are my favorite.  Chopped roasted red pepper, cream cheese, and romano cheese nestled in the middle of a light, fluffy pastry shell.  I made these to take to some friends, but not before I had my fill.  I also tried the Ham and Cheese Florentine, and the Blueberry Twists, which were also accepted with rave reviews.  The Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies came in at a close second, and were said to be the best cookie to eat with coffee.

All the recipes are clearly written, and very easy to make.  I was a little nervous about using puff pastry since I have only used it once and the recipe I chose was not good, thus the baked good met a fate worse than it’s taste - the garbage and a promise never to try it again.  But this book has restored my confidence in the frozen pastry and I will be stocking up on it.

My one critique on this book is that there are no pictures, except for the one on the cover.  I like to see what I’m about to bake, and since I am a visual person, I would’ve liked to see some pictures.

I am looking forward to making many more recipes from this book and will be featuring more of them here.  But for now I’ll leave you with the how-to for these rich and incredibly easy Puff Pastry Cinnamon Rolls.

What you’ll need:

1 tbsp butter
1 (8 oz) cream cheese, cubed
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 (17.3 oz) pkg frozen puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed for 30 minutes
1 (16 oz) container cream cheese frosting

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a saucepan melt butter over medium heat.  Add cream cheese, cinnamon, and vanilla to pan, and stir until smooth.  Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes.

Unfold 1 puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured work surface.  Spread pastry with half of the cinnamon-cream cheese mixture.  Roll puff pastry into a log.  Repeat with remaining puff pastry sheet and filling.  Refrigerate logs 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Cut each log into 6 slices.  Place slices on prepared sheet.

Bake rolls 15-20 minutes or until puffed and golden brown.  Remove from oven and spread cream cheese frosting over warm rolls.  Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 12 rolls.