Spinach in Puff Pastry

I have a cookbook holder that keeps "the cookbook of the moment" on the top of the bookshelf when the holder is not in active use for making a recipe.  Whenever Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris is on display, my husband and I laugh about the subtitle: "Easy French Food You Can Make at Home."  It's the emphasis on "can" that gets to us.  What would the alternative be?  "Difficult French Food You Have Absolutely No Chance of Ever Making at Home"? 

Even as I laugh at the subtitle, the message has worked on me. I have tried a fair number of recipes from this book.  I recently attempted "Spinach in Puff Pastry" (p. 66) for the second time.  The recipe isn't difficult, but both times I wanted to cut it in half which is a challenge with the puff pastry.  This time the experiment was more successful.

The filling ingredients (frozen spinach, eggs, pine nuts, Gruyere cheese, Parmesan cheese, onions, garlic and spices) were easy to cut in half.  But one entire box of Pepperidge Farm frozen puff pastry is called for, with one sheet for the bottom layer and one for the top. 

What worked this time was cutting one strip of puff pasty down the middle.  Then I rolled out the bottom piece until it was thin but not too thin that I couldn't transfer it to a baking sheet.  After topping it with the filling, I rolled out the second piece of puff pastry so it was a bit bigger than the first.  This went over the top of everything and the edges were sealed by brushing an egg wash and then crimping them with a fork. 

There was still more filling than puff pastry in this version than in Ina's original version, I imagine, but there was only one small place where the filling escaped when it baked.  The final result tasted delicious.  The puff pastry was flaky and contrasted nicely with the savory spinach, cheeses, onions and garlic.  It will still give us at least 4 servings total, even though the original full recipe is supposed to serve 6. 

Maybe there could be an addition to that subtitle?  "Easy French Food You Can Make at Home and that You Can Keep Eating Since the Portions are So Generous."  OK, maybe not.

Comments

[Amy D]

I often find Ina's servings are huge, cause even her soups which she says serve 10-12, feed like 18-22!
Just last night did I halve one of her recipes for roasted potato and fennel soup (1st book)

[Tania]

Spinach in pastry ... mmm! This sounds like a delicious variation of spanakopita, and looks beautiful, to boot.

I, too, find that Ina's recipes serve an army's worth of people. I'm glad to read that you had success in halving this recipe!

[Paige]

Amy and Tania,
Thanks for your comments! I'm glad you've had a similar experience with Ina's recipes.