Small Wonders!

Crostatini di Philadelphia con Pere Piccolini & Pomodori Secche

Philadelpia Cheese, Baby Pear and Sun-Dried Tomato Pastries

How was I supposed to resist these little beauties yesterday at the indoor market?!? Aren't they just adorable? So of course I grabbed a bag, filled it up... and had no idea what I would do with them... other than eat them of course!

They are almost too pretty to eat- pretty as a picture you might say... which is what they ended up looking like when I made these funky little pastries out of them! Little snap-shots of savory goodness! But of course I did eat them and I did enjoy them very much- as will you, if you give them a try!

Obviously you can use regular pears for this and cut small slices from them- so fear not if you can't get the little ones! And of course, these things are as simple to make as they look.
Cut yourself 3" squares of puff pastry and then edge them with strips as seen in the photos. There is no need to stick them down with anything- the heat in the oven will see to that for you... but do turn the oven on so that it is hot and ready at this point as you will only need another minute or two to get these ready!

Next step is to make a blend of Philadelphia cheese, chives, coriander powder, salt and pepper and spread this in the centre of the pastry. Next, position your pear slices decoratively and pop them into the oven, at 350°, for 10-15 minutes.

Whilst they are baking, slice some sun-dried tomatoes into fine strips and a few more chives  for your garnish later. Take the pastries out of the oven and add the sun-dried tomatoes and a trickle of honey, then return them to the oven for 1-2 minutes to brown under the broiler... and then you're done! Once they have cooled off, sprinkle them with chives and enjoy as a nice appetizer or light snack- perfect on a hot Summer evening!