BACON AND CHEESE PINWHEELS
THE APPETIZER YOU NEVER KNEW YOU ALWAYS NEEDED
10 servings, 1 hour (plus 30 minutes chilling)
Ingredients:
1 sheet puff pastry, 14 oz - preferably Dufour’s
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
6 slices bacon
3/4 cup cheese of choice, I use Violife
1 egg
Salt
Pepper
The Blistered Peppers Take:
I’m not the person who believes that everything’s better with bacon. But I came across this idea one day when I was craving a BLT and I didn’t have all the ingredients I needed (plus I had some extra time) - so you’re welcome!
Now I may not be an “everything’s better with bacon person” but I am a puff pastry person. When I was a kid my mom and stepsister did an Iron Chef cook off and the ingredient was puff pastry - my mom won, wink wink. But we joke that the only reason my mom won was because my brother gave her extra points for a cheesy puff pastry crouton on the salad starter! It is such a kitchen essential, and you can keep some extra in the freezer. Puff pastry is such a find in the grocery store (much like frozen spinach) because the work it takes to make your own puff pastry is such a time suck that you’d give up after an hour. Now, you just take this perfectly layered pastry and use it for easy brunch ideas, appetizers for a dinner party, yummy desserts, and you can even use it for the most decadent beef wellington! Next time you’re on a grocery run, pick yourself up a package or two and start experimenting.
Like many Blistered Peppers recipes, this one calls for very few ingredients which means I recommend higher quality ingredients. Of course if this recipe is calling your name right now and you don’t have the best of the best, who cares. But, if you’re planning to make this in the coming days or weeks, pick yourself up a high quality bacon. If you don’t have a local butcher who cuts it fresh my grocery store fave is North Country Smokehouse. You’ll see the recipe calls for a good knife or dental floss. That’s because the puff pastry is so delicate, if you have to cut back and forth more than once you’re going to tear the pastry and the ingredients might fall out. (NOTE: if using dental floss DON’T USE MINT FLAVORED!!)
This is also a good time for me to talk to you about sharp knives. Make sure you keep up with knife sharpening. Put an alert on your calendar! Depending on how often you cook and use your knives, you should be sharpening your knives AT LEAST once a week. But if you use them more often, every three days is encouraged. Sharp knives make everything in the kitchen easier. And it’s obviously safer. If you have a dull knife you’re more at risk of cutting yourself. Trust me, take the time to do this once and you’ll understand. Each time you slice you’ll feel like you’re cutting through butter. There’s also certain brands that you can send in every three months and the company will sharpen them for you. Look into it :)!
Anyway, back to the pinwheels. After making this once, I fell in love with it. It was easy and delish, two of the best outcomes for any recipe, right? I like to serve this alongside a light salad or a soup. You can even slice it up for breakfast or brunch. Give it a try and let me know what you think. Tag me in social and enjoy!
Steps:
Cut the bacon slices in ¼-½ inch pieces and set aside.
Sprinkle some flour on a flat surface and roll out the puff pastry. You should be elongating the rectangle but the pastry should remain about ¼ inch thick. Cover the surface of the pastry with seran wrap and then flip it over so the seran wrap is on the bottom and the puff pastry is on top.
Cover the pastry in a thin layer of mustard, then sprinkle with the bacon and cheese. Option to season with a bit of salt and pepper here.
Using the seran wrap as a guide, roll the puff pastry at the longest/widest side and make sure to tuck under as you roll - it will need to be tight! Place in the fridge for 30 mins.
*See video above for rolling details. :)
Preheat the oven to 380.
Once cooled, unwrap the puff pastry log and cut pinwheels about ½ inch thick. (You can also use dental floss to cut through but you run into some blockage with the bacon). Prep a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place each pinwheel on the baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
Whisk the egg and lightly brush over the tops of the pinwheels. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper.
Bake for 25-28 mins until lightly brown.
Let cool slightly and enjoy!
