Five on Friday with a Recipe

Hello my dear friends.  Thank you for all your kind comments from my previous blog postings.  I know they were a little different than my usual posts.  However, it always warms my heart to hear from you.  And, sometimes I feel I need to mix it up a bit and write whatever I think about.  The holidays are over and things are getting back to normal.  We've had the first of the el nino storms this week and we really got a soaking!  But, I'm not going to complain as we really need the water here in our state.   I'm excited to be back this week and linking to Amy's fabulous  Five on Friday.

Awhile back I saw a recipe for broccoli gorgonzola cheese pie on a blog that I was reading (sorry folks, I can't remember which blog.  If it's your blog, please let me know).  But, the recipe's origin can be found here.

Note: There's two parts to the recipe; the crust and the filling.  For the bottom crust I made a single pie crust using 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup all purpose flour with a little salt and 1/3 + cup shortening.  I prebaked the pie shell until it was lightly browned.

I bought a large broccoli head and cut it into smaller florets.  I put them in a dish and microwaved for about two to three minutes or until tender...

I sauteed some sliced mushrooms and leeks.  (I used frozen leeks and it was not a good idea). Use fresh leeks if you can or leave them out and substitute with something else if you wish...

I made a cream sauce to bind the filling together.  Since I stay away from dairy (cow's milk dairy), I used almond milk...oops, I forgot to add a teaspoon of dijon mustard after the sauce is done...

Before putting the filling into the prebaked pie shell I made, I scattered some goat cheese (I substituted goat cheese for the gorgonzola) in the bottom of the pie shell and then added in the broccoli mixture and sprinkled the remaining goat cheese on top...

I topped the pie with a ready made puff pastry sheet cut out to fit the pie shell.  Be careful and don't press the edges together or else the pie won't puff (this happened to me so that's why I'm letting you know :)

I baked the pie in a 365 degree oven until puff pastry was browned and puffed...

It made a nice, vegetarian dinner entree with salad served on the side...

 

There is a couple of things I would change next time.  I would use less goat cheese (I think I used 5 ounces) and maybe add a bit more flavoring to the mixture like soy sauce and/or dijon mustard.  This pie also tasted good the next day warmed in the microwave.

Now in order for this post to "qualify" for Five on Friday I will share these five ideas about puff pastry:

1.  Pepperidge Farm is a well known brand of puff pastry.  But, if you live next to a Persian or international grocer, you will find puff pastry in squares or sheets at a much cheaper price. Buy some and keep them in the freezer for a fast appetizer or dinner entree.

2.  For a quick appetizer, cut puff pastry into 1 1/2" squares, place how many you want on a baking sheet, put a dab of onion jam* in the middle and top with a teeny tiny piece of cheese. Bake and enjoy!

3.  Take a square of puff pastry, cut on the diagonal and fill one edge with cheese filling**.  Fold over and crimp together and sprinkle a bit of sesame on top.  Bake in a hot oven until puffed and browned.  These look beautiful piled high on a platter and served at a party.

4.  Don't throw away leftover puff pastry after cutting out the top for the pie.  Cut the odd shaped leftover pieces into smaller pieces and sprinkle a little cheese on them and bake as normal.  They make wonderful little additions to serve with the salad.

5. Ah, I forgot what I was going to write for #5 but I will say that Lilly loves to nibble the little pieces of puff pastry!  (She's a funny little kitty)...

Again, I want to thank you for all your comments and for taking time to visit my blog.  I read each and every comment.   Enjoy your weekend and if you have time, I always enjoy hearing from you wherever you may be.

with my best wishes,

Pat

* Beekman Blaak Onion Jam would work great or Fortnum and Mason's Highgrove Onion Marmalade. 

**To make an easy cheese filling, take one small potato and bake it until tender.  Remove the peel and mash in a bowl with a potato masher.  Add in about 3 ounces of feta cheese (or cheese of your choice).  Add about 1 tablespoon fresh chopped herbs like thyme and parsley and season with a bit of black pepper.  Add in one beaten egg.  Mix mixture well and take a heaping teaspoon and place on pastry to make cheese puffs.