Puff Pastry, I think I finally get it...

Puff pastry is one of those things that it is better to buy than try to make yourself unless you are crazy, an aspiring pastry chef or live somewhere so remote you can't buy it.
I was excited to find that Trader Joe's now carries their own version so I don't have to go to Safeway to get it.
My friend Susan is a whiz with puff pastry, she makes cute little chocolate filled rounds, triangles filled with lemon curd and pockets with winter squash and herbs. All of hers come out golden brown and puffy.
I have tried several different times to make dessert with puff pastry.

They looked good going in the oven...

...I was not very happy with how they came out. The pastry didn't puff and they were soggy. I know partly it was the filling, and they did taste fine.

Here are a few things I have learned about puff pastry:

1) It needs to defrost about 20 to 30 minutes, and the window of time is short. 

If you try to work with it too soon it is still frozen and will break. 
If you wait too long it gets too soft and gooey and will tear.
So have all your ingredients ready and don't be in a hurry.

2) Roll the dough out, this will give you a thinner crust, which will keep your end product from being doughy.

3) Use at egg wash, to both sides. Simple beat an egg and brush it on the pastry before filling. This will help to keep the pastry from getting soggy.

4) Bake in a hot oven, 400 F.
This will help with the browning.

I made goat cheese stuffed triangles the other day and they came out beautifully.
I mixed plain goat cheese with some fresh herbs, oregano, thyme and rosemary.

I rolled out my pastry square, cut it into four sections, did the egg wash thing, stuffed the squares and folded them over, made sure they were sealed.

I baked them for about 15 to 20 minutes.

The hard part was waiting for them to cool enough to eat !!

There are lots of different fillings and uses for puff pastry.
I had an amazing vegetable terrine the other night made by my friend, Laurie. 
And I have tried the little chocolate rolls Susan makes.
It's an easy but fancy appetizer to use little squares of puff pastry with a dab of pesto.
My next adventure will be to try some veggie pouches with the roots I just roasted: carrots, beets, parsnips, rutabagas and yams. I'll post if they come out well.