MAKES 8

Soyoung Scanlan, artisanal cheese maker at the Andante dairy in Santa Rosa, California, got the idea for this hors d'oeuvre from Chef Daniel Humm of San Francisco's Campton Place.

1  4-oz. piece chilled Acappella(Andante Dairy)
   or other young surface-ripened goat's-milk
   cheese, trimmed of rind
1  1⁄8"-thick 6" × 10" sheet puff pastry
   ( see recipe for Quick Puff Pastry)
1 oz. Impromptu or other hard goat's-milk cheese,
   grated on medium holes of a box grater
   (about 1⁄4 cup)

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Meanwhile, put young cheese in center of a large sheet of waxed paper, slice it almost in half horizontally, and open it like a book. Lay another sheet of waxed paper on top of cheese. Using a rolling pin, roll out cheese into a 1⁄4" × 3" × 7" rectangle; refrigerate.

2. Lay puff pastry on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and prick all over with a fork. Cover pastry with another sheet of parchment, then set another baking sheet directly on top. Bake pastry until golden, about 35 minutes. Uncover pastry completely, sprinkle with the grated cheese and bake until cheese melts slightly, about 2 minutes. Transfer pastry with parchment to a wire rack to let cool. Peel parchment off pastry. Using a serrated knife, cut pastry into 1" × 2" rectangles. Uncover chilled cheese and cut into 3⁄4" × 1 1⁄4" rectangles.

3. To assemble, stack a piece of cheese on a piece of pastry, top cheese with a piece of pastry, followed by another piece of cheese, then another piece of pastry. Repeat with remaining pastry and cheese to make 8 in all.