Easy & Impressive: Puff Pastry "Pizza"

I firmly believe everyone should have puff pastry in their freezer. It is by far one of the most versatile ingredients in my kitchen and I...

I firmly believe everyone should have puff pastry in their freezer. It is by far one of the most versatile ingredients in my kitchen and I know I can thaw and use it to whip up a quick appetizer or dessert in no time, and it always impresses!

I was playing around with the idea of doing a "pizza" style appetizer using the puff pastry since my Puff Pastry Tomato Tart was such a hit at one of our game nights. Since we aren't quite in fresh tomato season yet around here, I went for a different taste combo and quickly got everyone addicted to it. I can't wait to do it again!

Note: if you're into tabletop gaming, check out my husband Aaron's blog over at A Little Late to the Table

This brings be back to the magic of puff pastry - you can really customize it with any ingredients you have in the fridge, experiment and create your own flavor combinations! This time I decided to go with bacon, gorgonzola cheese, cranberry sauce and a little fresh rosemary. It was divine and I ate an embarrassingly large amount of it.

Note: I used this as an appetizer, but it would be fantastic as a main course served alongside a green salad too!

Cranberry Bacon Puff Pastry Pizza

Ingredients
2 whole Sheets of Frozen Puffed Pastry (thaw the pastry at room temp. for 30 minutes)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 can of whole berry cranberry sauce (or use homemade if you're feeling fancy)
8 slices bacon, cooked through but not too crispy (use this method for no splatters!)
8 ounces gorgonzola cheese (crumbled)
Fresh rosemary (chopped - about 1 tbsp.)

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425 and once thawed, carefully open the sheets of pastry. Using a sharp knife slice them in half, straight down the middle. Place the pastry on a large baking sheet lined with parchment or use stoneware (that's what I did and it was perfect).

Chop the cooked bacon into rough pieces and set aside while you brush the olive oil over the top of each pastry piece.

Spread about a 1/3 cup of cranberry sauce down the middle of each pastry (more or less to suit your taste) then add the bacon and cheese crumbles evenly. 

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and the cheese is melted. Sprinkle the pizzas with fresh chopped rosemary as soon as they come out of the oven, then let them rest 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Recipe adapted from Baker By Nature

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