Puff Pastry Pinwheels with Prosciutto and Manchego Cheese

Puff Pastry Pinwheels with Prosciutto and Manchego Cheese

Prosciutto and Machego Cheese Pinwheels; Prosciutto, Basil, and Gruyere Cheese Pinwheels

So what appetizer was the hit of the Super Bowl party last night?  Scrumptious little puff pastry pinwheels!  I made two types...one with prosciutto and Manchego cheese filling, and another with prosciutto, basil, and Gruyere cheese.  Which one was best?  Ummm...they were gobbled up so quickly that they were both declared winners.

And how easy were they to make...FAST & EASY!!   Puff pastry pinwheels will now be appearing at any event we host.  They were that good.  (And that easy!)

Now, I'm definitely a measure and follow the recipe kinda' girl, but this is truly one "recipe" where you can easily add more of what you like, or change things up a bit.  Experiment and have a little fun. Live dangerously and just plop on your ingredients.

Puff Pastry Pinwheels with Prosciutto and Manchego Cheese

Ingredients:
1 package frozen puff pastry (I used Pepperidge Farm)
About 10 thin slices of prosciutto
About 1/2- 1 cup of shredded Manchego cheese (found in the specialty cheese section of your upscale grocery stores)
egg white and a little water, whisked together in a bowl

Directions:
1.  First you'll need puff pastry sheets.  I used the Pepperidge Farm ones from the freezer section.  Since I was making these right away, I opened up the package and let them defrost on the counter for about 40 minutes.  You can also leave the box in your refrigerator overnight to defrost.

2.  Once the puff pastry is defrosted, lay it flat.  (You can leave it this size, or you can roll it out so that you're able to make a few more pinwheels for your party.)

3.  Layer prosciutto and Manchego cheese (however much you'd like!) on the pastry. 

4.  Roll up into one big spiral.

5.  Some recipes say to refrigerate for 3 hours (or more), while other recipes don't mention refrigerating at all before you cut them.  Since I didn't read this step ahead of time, I didn't have 3 hours!  I did put them in the refrigerator for 45 minutes and then sliced them into 1/2" sections.  I saved some of the roll and let that refrigerate overnight.  What I learned is that they're easier to slice when they've been refrigerated.  So, if you have time, go ahead and refrigerate.  If not, just roll up, and slice away!

6.  Lay the sections flat, so you see the spiral.  Brush the egg/water mixture over the top for a glossy finish.

7.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 12-15 minutes, or until golden on top.

Serve hot or at room temperature.  (That's the beauty of these...they taste great at room temperature, so you can make them ahead to bring to a party.)

You should be able to get about 20 spirals from half the package, so 40 if you're using the whole package.  

Feel free to experiment with other fillings:

Muenster cheese, Parmesan cheese, chopped green onion, garlic salt, spinach

Prosciutto, basil, and Gruyere cheese

Cream cheese, broccoli, ham

Pesto, cream cheese

Cream cheese, spinach, onion, and Italian sausage

Serrano ham, Manchego cheese

It doesn't have to be savory either...you can go sweet too!  Think of fruit pie fillings...oh my, the options are endless!  Have fun experimenting!