The S Files, episode 2

The second recipe I tried was supposed to look like this:

Paula Deen's Gruyere Puff Pastry



• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed (Or a ton of fresh
spinach, steamed and drained)
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
• 1 (17 1/2-ounce) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed


Saute the mushrooms in butter, then add spinach. Stir in cheese. Set aside. Roll out the puff pastry into two 9x13 sized sheets. Spread half of the spinach mixture onto the puff pastry. Roll up like a cinnamon roll, then do the step I forgot: cut into 1/4 inch slices. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Sounds easy and delicious, right?

Well, stick to the recipe then. When I couldn't find Gruyere cheese at the store, I decided that I would just use what we had.... cream cheese! Doesn't a creamy, spinach-filled puff pastry sound delicious?

Well, I'll tell you one thing. The filling would make for a killer Creamed Spinach. I loved it. I almost didn't want to put it into a puff pastry. I think I shouldn't have.

Here's what it looked like:
Look good? Not so fast. This is after an extra ten minutes of baking. Here's the inside view:


That's right. Doughy. With a capitol D. The spinach was still delicious, but it was hard to eat with the dough pastry around it. The kids were good sports, but in retrospect, here's what I should have done:

1. Found Gruyere cheese.
2. Cut it into 1/4 inch slices.
3. Sticking with the spinach and cream cheese addendum, I would love to have baked the puff pastry separately, and made incredible creamy-spinach sandwiches.

I'm the wiser now...and I hope you enjoyed the journey. Moral of the story: read and follow directions!

By the way...this is my 100th post. I'm glad I could commemorate it with a learning experience.