Some recipes are invented out of pure irritation. I get a little miffed at myself when I don’t use up things that I purchased, forget about something in the back of the cupboard, or neglected that zucchini for too long. This week an entire crisper full of Spartan apples have been glaring at me from their chilled plastic drawer, taunting me. You said you would find a way to use 25 pounds of apples “no problem,” remember? Ha. This lady wouldn’t know what to do with an apple if a recipe bit her in the ass.

The fact that my ingredients talk to me is only part of the problem. I’m just damn sick of sweet apple recipes. I’ve been waiting for a savory one to come along and tickle my fancy, but none have. So I set out to make my own, using ingredients that have been driving me nuts. Maybe it was the determination that went into each savory, crispy pocket, or maybe it’s just that these ingredients inherently work well together. Whatever the cause, these little appetizers are keepers.

I started with an apple (only one, but hey, it’s a start), a hunk of blue cheese, walnuts, a sprig of rosemary from the garden, and one sheet of puff pastry thawed from the freezer.

Dice the apples and walnuts, crumble the blue cheese, and mince the rosemary. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.

Roll out the puff pastry dough and cut into small squares. Fill each square with a little bit of the filling…

…and fold the edges over to make a triangle.

Press the edges together with the tines of a fork.

Before baking, lightly brush with a beaten egg mixed with a little water.

I enlisted help for this part. She loves lending a hand in the kitchen, or as Lucy calls it, “hot cookin!”

After a short time in the oven, they’re puffed, crisp, and ready to eat. 

A little of the blue cheese may leak out during cooking, and that’s okay. It’ll just form a little crispy layer of cheese on the bottom of the puff. The apples cook slightly in the oven, melding them with the cheese and nuts.

I love biting into these little puffs and finding the light crunch of the walnuts, the creamy blue cheese, and the slightly sweet apple. I’ll make them again soon, maybe to serve before Thanksgiving dinner. Let’s hope my apples are no longer yelling at me by then.

-RDG

Apple Blue Cheese Puffs

Puff pastry can be found in most grocery stores in the freezer aisle, two sheets to a box. It usually needs to thaw for about 40 minutes before you can work with it, so plan accordingly. A slightly tart apple works best. Yields 25 puffs.

• 1 c chopped apple (from approximately 1 medium apple)
• 1/2 c crumbled blue cheese
• 1/4 c chopped walnuts
• 1/2 tsp fresh minced rosemary
• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed according to package directions
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp water

Preheat oven to 400F. Combine the apple, blue cheese, walnuts and rosemary in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry dough into a 14×14″ square. Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, cut the dough 5 times horizontally and 5 times vertically to form 25 squares, about 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ each. Fill each square with a rounded 1/2 tbsp of the filling, then fold the edges over to create a triangle. Press the edges of the pastry together with the tines of a fork. Repeat for each puff.

Place puffs on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper (greased or sprayed is fine too). In a bowl, beat the egg together with the water. Lightly brush the top of each puff with the egg mixture. Bake one sheet at a time for 12-13 minutes each, until puffs are a light golden brown on top. Let cool slightly before serving.