Puff pastry is one of the simplest yet most complicated things to make. It is made with minimal ingredients (flour, water, salt, and butter) but takes all day to prepare. The butter and dough are folded together over and over and put in the fridge between foldings so that the layers stay cool and separate. The folds add up quickly (after 10 folds, you have over 1000 layers!). When in the oven, the butter steams the layers up and creates the signature flaky layered puff.

Fortunately, TJ's makes it a snap with frozen puff pastry dough... so happy to see this item hit their shelves (Wona excitedly called me from Trader Joe's the first day she saw it).  Puff pastry isn't for every day (it's quite fattening) but it makes for easy and tasty appetizers and desert ideas that are impressive to boot!

Try this easy appetizer:

1 sheet of puff pastry(each box has two sheets)

Your favorite jar of tapenade or bruschetta (such as Mixed Olive Bruschetta, available jarred)

• Preheat the oven and thaw the sheet of puff pastry according to the box instructions. But the sheet into 9 equal pieces (like a tic-tac-toe board). In the center of each piece, put a teaspoon of tapenade. Spread the pieces evenly on a baking sheet and bake according to directions.
• Remove from oven and serve immediately.

The topping options are endless: Try your favorite jam, slices apples, cheese, goat cheese...