Do you ever try to pull together a dish from random items in your fridge and freezer that are languishing and that REALLY need to get used up?

This is exactly what I was doing earlier this morning. I spied a Pepperidge Farm puff pastry wasting away in my freezer, frankly taking up valuable real estate with absolutely no plans for being used. I wanted to change that, and fast.

At the same time, I had an avocado that was threatening to spoil (you know how they are…they are ripe for approximately 6 minutes). Then I started digging around in the fridge and I found a few pieces of bacon wrapped up from breakfast 2 days ago that we’d forgotten about, an opened jar of salsa and some cream cheese. Look how beautifully these misfits played together!

So here’s how you can create this savory puff pastry recipe in your own kitchen.

Let’s start with the ingredients you’ll need:

• 1 sheet puff pastry (I used Pepperidge Farm)
• 2 oz. cream cheese, cut into 9 sections
• 1/2 avocado, diced or mashed (your choice)
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup salsa
• 2-3 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 egg, beaten in a bowl

The first step is to let your puff pastry thaw for about 20 minutes. Set the timer so you don’t let it go too long! While it is thawing, preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line one baking sheet with parchment paper. Then unwrap your puff pastry and place it on a flat, floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough a bit to make it bigger and thinner. My puff pastry didn’t get all that much bigger. Not sure if I just had a really tired old set or if there isn’t a ton of give. But if you are expecting it to move like pie dough, re-think that! 🙂

Now cut the pastry dough into 9 squares (I had 3 rows of 3). Then cut each square on the diagonal to make triangles.

Now it’s time to add the good stuff! On one triangle, add the cream cheese, a few bits of avocado, a small spoonful of salsa and the bacon on top. Like this:

Use the other triangle next to the piece you loaded to serve as the top, and using your finger, smoosh the edges together to the best of your ability. You want as much of it closed as possible. Some will likely stick out. It’s not a big deal, so don’t stress over it! I will say that trial and error taught me that it’s better to smush your cream cheese and avocado a bit on the puff pastry to make it not so tall. It’s not as pretty, but I think it’s less stressful to build that way.

Once you have your 9 little pies made, dip them, one at a time, in the beaten egg, which is your egg wash, and then place them on the parchment paper.

Bake for 15 minutes until they are golden brown. They are ready to serve immediately, though I’m pleased to report that they still taste delicious several hours later. I was afraid they’d be a mushy mess in no time, but that wasn’t the case. 🙂

I hope this gives you some inspiration for a simple puff pastry recipe you can pull together. You’ll look like a professional chef making something so fancy, and nobody has to know that you were just trying to use up some leftovers!