Easy Savory Puff Pastry florets: Goat Cheese Appetizer You’ll Love

Add variety and flavor to your party with our savory puff pastry goat cheese appetizer. Not only it tastes delicious, it is also shaped as tiny florets! Ingredients: puff pastry, heavy cream, Chevre and cranberry sauce.

Wine Pairing Recommendations

Pairing this savory puff pastry goat cheese appetizer with wine is as easy as one- two-three. While it pairs the best with the white wine, we came up with two wine pairing recommendations for red wine lovers too!

• White wine pairing options:
  • When it comes to pairing this this savory puff pastry appetizer with white wine, Sauvignon Blanc rules the day! The crisp acidity of Sauvignon Blanc pairs well with the tangy cranberry-orange sauce, and its citrus notes provide a refreshing contrast to the richness of the whipped goat cheese. Opt for Sancerre, California Sauvignon Blanc or the distinctive Pouilly-Fumé from the Loire Valley, known for its smoky, flinty character.
• Red wine pairing options:
  • For red wine lovers, the Italian Moscadello di Montalcino provides an unexpected yet fantastic wine pairing. Alternatively, fans of French wines can opt for Beaujolais, a predominantly Gamay-based wine hailing from Burgundy.

The versatility of this appetizer ensures a delightful experience, whether sipping a refreshing white or savoring the complexities of a well-matched red.

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Beaujolais, Moscadello di Montalcino, Sauvignon Blanc

Recipe at a glance:

Course: Appetizer	Cuisine: French	Servings: 12
Prep Time: 15 min	Cook Time: 30 min	Total Time: 45 min

Ingredients:

• 2 sheets puff pastry (store bought or homemade)
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 4 oz. ( 113 gr.) Chevre (Fresh Goat cheese)
• 8 oz. (227 gr.) homemade cranberry orange sauce – learn how to make it here.
• Icing sugar to taste

What is puff pastry?

Puff pastry is a light, flaky, and buttery pastry made by layering thin sheets of dough with butter or a butter substitute. The dough is repeatedly folded and rolled to create multiple layers, resulting in a pastry that puffs up and becomes crispy when baked.

The key to the characteristic flakiness of puff pastry lies in the expansion of water content in the butter during baking. As the water turns into steam, it creates pockets between the layers of dough, causing the pastry to rise and form a multitude of delicate layers.

Puff pastry is a versatile ingredient used in both sweet and savory dishes. Unsurprisingly, it is a popular choice for creating impressive and delicious baked goods. While it can be made from scratch, many people opt for the convenience of using store-bought puff pastry for its time-saving benefit.

Tips for Working with Puff Pastry

Keep puff pastry dough and ingredients cold to ensure proper layering and puffing during baking.

Thaw frozen puff pastry in the refrigerator according to package instructions.

Remember, never to refreeze thawed puff pastry. If you refreeze the pastry, the moisture content may change, leading to potential issues with texture, sogginess, or loss of flakiness when the pastry is eventually baked.

Substitution for homemade orange-cranberry sauce

While it is incredibly easy to make a homemade orange-cranberry sauce, sometimes you just don’t have the time. And we get it! To substitute, use ½ cup of a store bought cranberry sauce and mix it with ½ cup of orange juice, preferably freshly squeezed. Add a pinch of cinnamon and mix everything together. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer on a medium heat and let the mixture simmer for about 5 minutes or until it thickens. Let the mixture cool before you start spooning it into the puff pastry florets.

How to fold puff pastry rounds into a floret shape?

Our puff pastry recipe calls for folding puff pastry rounds into a floret shape. While this may sound like an elaborate folding technique, in reality the process is straightforward.

1. Take each pastry circle and make a series of small, evenly spaced cuts from the edge towards the center, leaving the center uncut.

2. Carefully lift and twist each cut segment, forming a floret shape. The twists will create layers when baked.

Still need help? Head over to our Instagram post for a step-by-step visual tutorial for this puff pastry appetizer.

Tools to use in this recipe

Find them all on Amazon:

Instructions – Step-by-Step:

Prepare florettes ingredients:

1. If you’re using store-bought puff pastry dough, thaw it according to package instructions.
2. Preheat your oven to 360°F (182°C).

Assemble puff pastry florettes:

3. Roll out the puff pastry dough to approximately 5 mm (3/16 inch) thickness. 
4. Cut circles from the puff pastry using a round cookie cutter or a glass.
5. Fold each circle into a floret shape, following the provided instructions.
6. Place the shaped florets in parchment baking cups and arrange them on a baking tray or use muffin pan.
7. Add a spoonful of homemade cranberry-orange sauce into each floret.

Bake floret tarts and prepare goat cheese filling:

8. Bake the pastry florets in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until they’re golden brown.
9. While the florets bake, make whipped goat cheese. Using a handheld blender or a food processor blend measured out goat cheese and whipping cream until it looks like buttercream.
10. Spoon the whipped goat cheese into a piping bag fitted with a star-shaped tip.

Finish the florets:

11. Once the florets are cool, pipe the whipped goat cheese on top of the cranberry-orange sauce and sprinkle a bit of icing sugar. Enjoy your savory puff pastry goat cheese appetizer!

Enjoy!

Recipe Card:

Puff pastry goat cheese appetizers with cranberry orange sauce

Make a whimsical puff pastry appetizer by shaping puff pastry into florets, filling them with homemade cranberry-orange sauce, and baking until golden. Then top the florets with a whipped goat cheese and finish with a sprinkle of icing sugar.

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Servings: 12

Equipment

• 12-cup muffin pan
• Rolling Pin
• Mini baking cups
• Pipping bag and pipping tips
• Food processor or handheld mixer

Ingredients

• 2 sheets puff pastry store bought or homemade
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 4 oz. Chevre Fresh Goat cheese, 113 g.
• 8 oz. homemade cranberry orange sauce 227 g (see recipe link at the end of this post)
• icing sugar to taste

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 360°F (182°C).
• If you’re using store-bought puff pastry, follow the instructions to thaw it. Roll the dough into a thin sheet.
• Cut circles from the puff pastry using a round cookie cutter or a glass.
• Fold each circle into a floret shape, following the instructions provided above.
• Place the shaped florets in parchment baking cups and arrange them on a baking tray or use muffin pan.
• Add a spoonful of homemade cranberry-orange sauce into each floret.
• Bake the pastry florets in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until they’re golden brown.
• While the florets bake, make whipped goat cheese. Using a handheld blender or a food processor blend measured out goat cheese and whipping cream until it looks like buttercream.
• Spoon the whipped goat cheese into a piping bag fitted with a star-shaped tip.
• Once the florets are cool, pipe the whipped goat cheese on top of the cranberry-orange sauce and sprinkle a bit of icing sugar.

Course Appetizer, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword goat cheese appetizers, goat cheese tarts, puff pastry appetizers, puff pastry florettes, puff pastry tarts

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