Deep Dish Pizza Bites with Mascarpone, Crispy Ham and Pesto
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
- Flour, for dusting work surface
- 1 egg, well beaten
- 4 ounces Virginia ham, thinly sliced
- 8 ounces mascarpone, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup basil pesto, drained if very oily, plus more for serving
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Pinch freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 25 Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings, for garnish
- 2 tablespoons lightly toasted pine nuts
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- On a lightly floured work surface, unroll the pastry and, using a floured 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter, cut the pastry into as many rounds as possible, usually about 25.
- Brush lightly with the egg wash and place on an ungreased baking sheet.
- Using a smaller cutter, ideally about 1 1/2-inch wide, make an impression in the center of each round but take care not to cut all the way through the dough.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until puffed, golden brown, and cooked through and crispy.
- Remove from the oven and, using the tip of a paring knife, cut out the center portion of each pastry.
- Set aside while you assemble the remaining ingredients.
- (Puffs may be made 1 day ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature, then recrisped in a warm oven the day of serving.)
- Place the ham on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and cook until crisp, about 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and, once cool, finely chop.
- In a small bowl, combine the chopped ham, mascarpone, pesto, salt and pepper and olive oil.
- Stir gently but thoroughly to blend.
- Divide the mascarpone filling evenly among the hollowed-out wells in the pastries.
- Top each pastry with a dollop of the remaining pesto and a Parmigiano-Reggiano shaving.
- Garnish each with a few pine nuts and serve.
pastry, flour, egg, virginia ham, mascarpone, basil pesto, salt, freshly ground black pepper, olive oil, shavings, nuts
Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/deep-dish-pizza-bites-with-mascarpone-crispy-ham-and-pesto-recipe.html (may not work)