Pesto Cheese Puff Pastry Sunflower Tart/ Pinwheel
Pesto and cheese along with puff pastry makes this easy yet attractive sunflower tart. With only 3 ingredients this appetizer wows with both taste and presentation.
Equipment
- 2 baking tray preferably with out rim
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 Parchment
- 1 measuring cups and spoons
- 1 sharp knife
- 1 pastry brush
Ingredients
- 1 pkg Puff Pastry 490 grams/17.3 oz/1.1 lbs Pepperidge Farm Brand
- 3-4 tbsp Pesto
- 1 cup Mozzarella shredded cheese
- 1/4 tsp White Sesame Seeds
- 1/4 tsp Black Sesame Seeds
- 2 tbsp Milk or 1 beaten egg for glazing
Instructions
- Thaw the puff pastry as per directions on the box. I kept the box out for 35 minutes on the counter
- On parchment paper, dust some flour. Unroll the puff pastry sheets. There are 2 sheets in a box. Keep the other one in the fridge.. We will need it later
- If there are cracks on the puff pastry, take some water and bring them together. Now using a rolling pin, roll the puff pastry to a little over 10 inches. The original puff pastry measures 9 inches
- Take a 10 inch plate, put it on the puff pastry and using a sharp knife cut the puff pastry to a 10 inch circle, using the plate as a guide. Place the parchment paper with the puff pastry on a rimless baking tray
- Put it in the freezer for 5 minutes while we repeat the process for the second sheet. Now we have 2 10 inch puff pastry circles. Put the second one ,on a baking sheet back in the freezer while we assemble the tart
- Preheat the oven at 400 F /205C
- Put 3-4 tbsp of pesto leaving a 1 inch border on the side. Sprinkle the cheese evenly on the pesto.
- Place the second circle carefully over the circle that has the pesto and cheese. The edges should match up. I used a rolling pin to lift and place the puff pastry on top. Gently press down on the tart with your palms and tap the edges lightly
- For the sunflower shape-place a small cup or glass in the center and press it so it leaves an indentation. Remove cup. This is the center of the sunflower and we will use this as a guide to cut the puff pastry
- Using a sharp knife, cut the puff pastry into 4 pieces. Now divide each quadrant into half. This gives 8 pieces, Further divide each piece in half. This should give 16 pieces. If at this point your puff pastry feels soft or sticky. Put in the freezer for 5 minutes.
- Lift each piece and give 2 twists and lay the edge flat. Repeat for all 16 pieces. We only need to give 2 twists, making sure the piece stays attached to the center. Lay the edge flat so we get an even circle. If the dough feels soft, put in the freezer for 5 minutes
- Crack an egg, beat it lightly with a fork and brush all over the tart. Or brush milk all over the sunflower tart. Sprinkle some black and white sesame seeds in the center.
- Bake at 400 F for 25 minutes. I started checking at 20 minutes and kept baking till I got a nice golden color on the pastry.
Notes
Using a baking tray that has no edges, makes it easier to slide off the tart on to your serving dish. I felt that placing the puff pastry on parchment paper made it very easy to handle. Do not spread the pesto till the edge. Keep a one inch border. This can be made with just pesto and no cheese. While twisting the rays, keep a finger at the joint so that the ray does not become detached. lay down the end of the ray, flat on the tray. Brushing with milk or egg gives a nice glaze/shine to the puff pastry.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!