The Modern Baker Challenge

The Modern Bakers are now in the puff pastry section of The Modern Baker cookbook! My official post for this section is the spinach and feta turnovers.

I made a half batch of the instant puff pastry and then divided the dough in half again to make these and the chocolate napoleons. The 1/4th recipe of the puff pastry made 5 turnovers. I made my turnovers larger than instructed at about 5 1/2 inch squares.

Puff pastry is almost too easy to make in the food processor. Watching all that butter go in will sure stop your heart!

I made a half recipe of the filling which includes: spinach, dill, scallions, feta, pepper, and eggs. I used 1 tsp of dried dill as I had no fresh dill on hand. Nick cautions against salting the filling before tasting because feta is salty on it’s own. I found there to be no need for further salt.

I brushed the egg wash on the edges of each square and divided the filling between the squares.

I folded over each and sealed the edges.

I vented each turnover and baked.

These turnovers were delicious! The puff pastry was flaky and the filling was gooey and flavorful. I’m not always a fan of cooked spinach but this recipe did it perfectly. I would caution those who are not big cooked spinach lovers to try and not saute the spinach for too long while preparing the filling.

Both toddlers loved it (even Charlotte who has an issue with ‘green things’ sometimes). They both gobbled up their pieces and asked for more. Honestly, I was a bit put out that they wanted the second half of theirs. I was sort of hoping to eat it myself. I guess that’s the best endorsement I can make for this recipe- I was hoping my kids would refuse it so there would be more for me!

The alteration options are endless. Personally, I’d love to add mushrooms and maybe try some additional cheeses. I bet Parmesan would be wonderful.