Spinach Palmier - A perfect appetizer

This is indeed a perfect appetizer. If you have followed my blog, u'd already know of my never ending love for appetizers and these heart shaped ones are a definite treat. I have been making these little appetizers for a while now, especially when I have people over for dinner. Not once has this recipe failed to gain the ooh's and aah's from the guests, both for the taste as well as the presentation. I served these as palmiers along with soup as appetizer for our family Thanksgiving dinner and this was a huge hit with the kids. All they ate was the palmiers and didnt touch the soup which they claimed tasted too healthy!! I dont blame them at all for I would have done the same if at all I could forget the calorie count for just a minute :-)

This is a great recipe to make ahead and freeze it for future use. I fill the pastry sheets, roll them up and cut into pieces. Arrange the pieces in a baking sheet, freeze it for 30 min until the pieces gets hard. At this point, transfer them into a zip lock bag and keep it in the freezer. This stays fresh for at least a month. The frozen palmiers can go direct into the oven. Frozen ones take a bit longer  to cook than the fresh ones (maybe 5 min more than the 15-20 min suggested for the fresh ones).

Note:

1. Thaw the frozen spinach in the microwave. Squeeze out the water as much as possible. Excess water will result in a soggy filling.
2. Fresh spinach, slightly sauteed can also be used in place of the frozen spinach.
3. I have used ricotta in this recipe but cream cheese works great as well.

Ingredients
1 puff pastry sheet, thaw as per the instruction given in the box
1 cup frozen spinach, thawed (see notes)
1 cup ricotta cheese (drain out excess water, if any)
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
1 tsp red chili flakes (or as per taste)
Salt to taste

Method

1. In a bowl add all the ingredients except the puff pastry sheet. Stir until all the ingredients are well mixed.
2. Taste and adjust seasoning. 
3. Unroll the pastry sheet. Use a rolling pin to even out the surface and to get uniform thickness.
4. Spread the spinach mixture evenly onto the pastry sheet. Leave half an inch space on all side from the edges.
5. Carefully roll the pastry sheet from one end and stop when you reach the center of the sheet. Now start rolling from the opposite end and stop when you reach the center. Both the rolled end should meet at the middle. Take care not to squeeze the filling out.
6. Place the rolled pastry sheet on a baking tray. Freeze for 15 min or just until the filling hardens. 
7. Slice the roll into 3/4 inch thickness or into 16-20 slices.
8. Place the slices, cut side up onto a baking sheet.
9. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 375 F for 20 min or until golden brown.
10. Serve warm. 

Enjoy !!