Puff pastry eggsperiment round two, this time with meat! Things went so well the first time I tried this with just veggies, so I finally got around to making them again – but with slices of asiago spinach sausage. This is a recipe you can definitely fit in before work, as long as you remember to thaw the puff pastry in the refrigerator the night before. If you try your own egg and puff pastry combo, be sure to show me – you might end up featured in the Yolk Lover’s Guide!

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry
• Flour (just enough to dust on the pastry sheet)
• Veggies to add (don’t feel confined to these – use what you have!):
  • A handful of cherry tomatoes
  • Bell Pepper
• Half of a small sausage (I used one stuffed with asiago cheese and spinach flavoring)
• Your preferred seasoning
• Optional: fresh parsley for garnish

Estim. Prep & Cooking Time: 25 mins.

Steps:

• Try to plan to allow the puff pastry to thaw in the refrigerator overnight. If you don’t have time, click here for helpful fast-thawing tips.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or tin foil.
• Lightly spread flour on a large cutting board, place sheet of puff pastry on top, then dust a little more flour on top of the pastry.
• Use a rolling pin or a glass to smooth out any creases or bumps in the pastry dough – but don’t roll too hard. This is just to smooth the dough, not spread it out. Don’t have a rolling pin? I used a 16oz drinking glass, which worked fine.
• Use a small serving bowl, round tupperware or other round object to cut 4 circles approximately 4 inches in diameter out of the pastry.
• Carefully transfer the pastry circles to the baking sheet, keeping them at least 2 inches apart.
• Use a knife or spoon to draw an inner circle in each pastry circle, about a 1/4 inch inside the edge. This will allow the edge of the pastries to puff up, creating a border for the eggs.
• Use a fork to poke a few holes all the way through the inner circle of each pastry circle. This keeps the bottom of the pastry from puffing too much.
• Bake pastry circles for about 8 minutes, until the edges rise.
• While baking, chop your veggies, and slice the sausage thinly. For veggies, this time I used cherry tomatoes and green pepper, but this recipe would be good with other bell peppers, butternut squash, or spinach …the list goes on.
• Remove pastries from the oven. Use a spoon to press down on each inner circle, then crack an egg into each circle.
• On top of the eggs, add a few tomatoes, green pepper pieces, the sausage slices, and/or whatever veggies you chose to each circle, and season to your preference.
• Bake again for about 12 minutes, or until the egg whites are set, but the yolks are still soft.
• Garnish with fresh parsley if you have it, take pictures of your creation, and tag me!

My puff pastry technique was inspired by two very helpful recipes from Just a Taste and Serious Eats.