Pesto & Goat Cheese Palmiers

I think by now we all know how much I love my Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa). Her food is so classic, chic, and simple. So it was no surprise that I turned to her to make an appetizer for our Hanukkah party (and Christmas Dinner at Grandma's house). I am a HUGE fan of pesto and goat cheese. In my opinion, everything tastes better with goat cheese. Yes, it has a stronggggg taste, but when it's cooked, it's much more mellow and perfectly decadent. You can omit the goat cheese if you want, but I wouldn't suggest you substitute it with anything (if you MUST, then try feta). They're filling, so you can have them with dinner, or as an appetizer with a dinner that is on the lighter side, like a soup or salad (eh, who am I kidding, indulge!!!)This is a definite crowd pleaser, I  promise!


What you'll need:

1 package frozen puff pastry, defrosted (it won’t move if you don’t let it defrost!!! And, try to get the kind that DOES NOT fold, they’re more difficult to deal with)

¼ cup pesto (in do time I will share my recipe)

½ cup goat cheese, crumbled

¼ cup finely chopped/minced sundried tomatoes

¼ cup raw pine nuts (or toasted)

Kosher salt

1. Preheat oven to 400*.

2. Roll out defrosted puff pastry on a FLOURED cutting board with a rolling pin (that is ALSO covered in flour.) to about 9"x11"

3. Spread a light layer of the pesto ALL OVER the dough.

4. Crumble the goat cheese on top of the pesto, spreading out a bit (you don't want TOO much goat cheese, it's taste is STRONG!!!)

5. Mince or finely chop the sundried tomatoes (cheat and use the food processor, I did!!!) and spread evenly all over the pastry.

6. Toast the pine nuts in a skillet over medium heat for JUST a minute. If they burn, they'll taste AWFUL! You want just a little golden brown color. (If you have toasted pine nuts, then skip this step)

7. Let the nuts cool, then toss over the pastry.

8. Starting with the shorter sides, start rolling them in towards the middle until they BARELY touch.

9. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and start pushing everything outward (you'll understand when you do it) to make it longer.

10. After about an hour or so, cut the pastry into ½ inch slices and place them on a greased baking sheet, cut side up.

12. Bake for 14-15 minutes (or until they're golden brown).

13. SERVE HOT!

enjoy :)