And so it came to pass that we needed to clean out the basement freezer (we already lost one in the last flood so we need to remove any future loss by cleaning out the basement entirely) and I found a frozen puff pastry I had bought for one of the many events we’ve had to cancel over this past Winter (obviously, still a sore spot, as the cancellations continue — someday we’ll feel like humans with a life again). I had ignored it because I thought it was a big deal and that I needed a lot of time or patience, or something I don’t feel like I’ve had a lot of lately (of course, I could have just read the package, I wasn’t making the puff from scratch — I feel good about the Dufour Pastry group, they even make a plant-based organic version, acts the same). It has been a game-changer.
It thaws rather quickly (less than an hour outside of the fridge, 2-3 hours inside — consistency doesn’t change that much but if you are doing something more delicate, I’d opt to thaw longer in the fridge) and works great to throw on top of a cast iron skillet full of (leftover) cooked chicken/gravy/and veg as a ‘pot pie’ (just follow directions on package for baking, and be careful the pan is then hot!).
The other night we chose to roast some cauliflower to top a thawed and partially pre-baked (as per box direction) puff with a little bacon cooked up with garlic and onions, sliced up leftover roasted potatoes, and feta cheese. Rebake and amazing!! We tried to make little wells and roast eggs in it but that didn’t turn out as good as we had hoped, we’ll have to experiment a little more there but the Roasted Veg Tart with Feta was great. I think anything that tastes lovely carmelized and roasted would go great on this tart (we really piled it up, too — on a regular sheet pan toss veg to roast with olive oil, sea salt, and fresh ground black pepper, roast at 375 degrees stirring occasionally to brown up many bits, remove when roasted to your liking, chop a little more to work best on pastry) like roasted sweet potatoes or squash, broccoli, parsnips or carrots, golden beets, asparagus, eggplant with maybe an addition of toasted pine nuts or Dukka, dried or fresh herbs like sage or rosemary, possibly dried fruits like sliced fig or dried plums, sauteed mushrooms and any kind of allium (I can’t wait for Summer scapes)…the feta baked on top was delicious (I love Pumpkin Vine Family Farm‘s goat feta — it’s divine, and they are wonderful — you can go and visit, they host a Farmer’s Market and many events). Get a puff, try it out, it was an easy peasy ‘kitchen-sink’ kind of meal which I love. And a hit for boardgame night!
Rock Bottom Homestead 