Pastry Wrapped Olives Recipes

BAKED PASTRY-WRAPPED OLIVES

Steps:

• Lay the pastry on a clean work surface. Using a small, sharp knife or a pizza cutter, cut fifteen 2-inch squares from each pastry sheet (30 total). Place an olive in the middle of each pastry square and gently roll the dough around it into a ball or simply fold the dough around the olive, exposing the olive through the sides. Place on an ungreased baking sheet or freeze for up to 2 months in a plastic container, making sure the pastry pieces don't touch each other.
• Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Bake the olives for 15 to 17 minutes, turning them once halfway through baking. The pastry should be a pale golden brown on both sides. If baking the olives straight from the freezer, bake for closer to 20 minutes. Serve hot. (Warn people to let them cool for about a minute before biting into one; they are very hot.)
• Variations:
• You can line the pastry with various flavorings before you wrap the olive. Consider any of these possibilities:
• Finely chop 3 tablespoons fresh rosemary, basil, or thyme and press into the pastry.
• Press about ½ cup grated hard cheese into the pastry before you cut it into squares.
• Add a very light sprinkle of grated lemon zest to the pastry.
• Add a very light sprinkle of red chile flakes or cayenne pepper on top of the pastry.