Prosciutto and Gruyere Pastry Pinwheels

Hello! Yes, I'm alive! So sorry for letting a whole WEEK go by without posting... it won't happen again. I'm chalking it up to the first week of school and getting my butt back into the gym on a regular basis. All that holiday partying really took a toll on me and I'm ready to get back into shape. I mean, I'm SO ready.

Anyway, I guess my schedule got the best of me last week and my little foodie blog fell by the wayside. Again, so sorry!

But here's some good news. Mark was home for a few extra days this past week and he got in the cookin' mood. Yeah! Ladies, if you lived with this man, you would want him to get in the cookin' mood as much as possible. He's very good at it. And he's cute when he does it, too. :-)

So stay tuned, because tomorrow I'm gonna show you one of his specialties... the perfect roast chicken. Oh believe me, you just can't top it.

But, for today, I want to finish bringing you all the courses of my dad's birthday meal from a couple weeks ago. This was the first course; an appetizer. These little pastry pinwheels are a cinch to make, they look good, and they taste great. They're flaky, a little salty, buttery, and cheesy. Oh yeah... how could that be bad? I made these for dad, but also made another batch and brought them to a New Year's Eve party. They worked out great because even at room temperature, they taste really good. Plus, as you will quickly see, you could take these little pinwheels in many different directions. Just pick your favorite ingredients and roll them up in some puff pastry dough and you're all set with some easy, tasty appetizers.

Here's how you make them:

Open a package of pre-made puff pastry and unfold the first sheet of dough. Cut it in half length-wise to get two pieces that look like this. Lay down your prosciutto first to cover all of the dough. In this picture, I'm actually using speck, which is a smoked prosciutto. Next, sprinkle your cheese over the meat, then season it with chopped fresh basil (or dried italian seasoning as I did).

Next, roll up each dough half jelly-roll style. Brush the very top of the dough with egg wash, so when you roll it up, it will act as a seal.

Wrap each dough roll in plastic wrap and refrigerate over night (or at least for a few hours). Right before you're ready to bake them, slice them in 1/2 inch thick rounds and place them on a cookie sheet. Bake them at 400 degrees for about 16 minutes or until golden brown. That's it! Doesn't get much easier than that, folks. So, at your next dinner party, or the next one you're invited to, make these or bring these along with you. They were a hit at both houses for me, so you can feel confident that people will like them.

Ok, homework time for me... I'll talk to you all tomorrow!