Store-bought frozen puff pasty is surprisingly versatile, easily transforming any fresh vegetables and fruits on hand into elegant appetizers or desserts.
Made with ripe cherry tomatoes and fragrant herbs, this tart is both delicious and beautiful. Herbed Tomato Tart
This classic French pastry, whose name means thousand leaves (for its delicate multiple layers), is known as the napoleon. The name is probably a reference not to the diminutive Corsican emperor, but to the multilayered confections of Naples.
We adapted a simple recipe from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything to make these delicate French cookies. Sugar-dusted and flaky, with a toothsome bite, they’re also a great way to use up leftover puff pastry.
This gorgeous tart has it all—sweetness from the caramelized onions, earthiness from the goat cheese, and a subtle saltiness from the anchovies. Get the recipe for Onion Tart with Goat Cheese »
Kale and fennel lend a unique sweetness to these briny puff pastry tarts. They’re perfect as appetizers, savory breakfasts, or as an accompaniment to a bowl of warm, wintry soup.
Get creative with the topping for this tart, which will help to really stretch leftover squash and other vegetables. Store-bought puff pastry makes a simple dish even simpler. Get the recipe for Seasonal Squash Tart »
There’s a reason this recipe is a classic party appetizer: crowned with jam and wrapped in puff pastry, a wheel of brie turns into a gooey, irresistible treat that’s great eaten with crackers or toast. Get the recipe for Baked Brie with Raspberry Jam »
Buttery homemade puff pastry only gets better with a touch of chocolate. Adding a little cocoa powder to the butter block transforms the pastry into a barely sweet, delicately chocolaty version of itself. Get the recipe for Chocolate Puff Pastry »
Pasties were originally made for miners—they could hold the pies’ thick edging with dirty hands and discard it after eating. James Lowe updates the pedestrian pasty by marrying tender, earthy tubers with melty cheese for the filling. Get the recipe for Jerusalem Artichoke and Comté Pasties »
Seafood Newburg (Lobster, Scallops, and Shrimp in Sherry Cream Sauce)
While Lobster Newburg was first served New York City’s Delmonico’s restaurant in 1876, Boston’s Union Oyster House does a first-rate job with the dish, incorporating not just lobster, but scallops, shrimp, and a vol-au-vent, a puff-pastry shell filled with creamy Newburg sauce. Get the recipe for Seafood Newburg (Lobster, Scallops, and Shrimp in Sherry Cream Sauce) »
Try using tart, apple-like Manzano bananas for this delicious take on the classic French dessert, which is traditionally made with apples. Get the recipe for Banana Tarte Tatin »
