Are you still looking for a great New Years appetizer? This baked Puff Pastry with Quince and Macadamia Nut Cheese is a great option. It is crispy on the outside, and sweet and savory on the inside. It is perfect with a glass of wine, some crackers, and fruit. It will wow even your most skeptical omni friend!
I bet you didn't think a vegan version of Brie en Croute could be possible, but it is. Of course, the cheese is nothing like an actual brie, but this homemade macadamia nut cheese works wonderfully.
It has been a very busy last couple of weeks. We have left Hawaii and are currently in Mexico enjoying time with our family. Yay! There's no other way to say it, but that Hawaii was not our forever home. We will miss the wonderful friends we made, our amazing homeschool group, and of course the amazing beaches and hikes.
The main reason for our departure was that the cost of living in Hawaii is incredibly high, which made many things difficult for us. I guess we knew that before going there, but we just didn't grasp how high it really is. The other thing that was difficult was finding a school for our children. Thus why we decided to homeschool. Homeschooling has many benefits and I did find that I enjoyed it very much, but it didn't come without its challenges. If you are thinking about moving to Hawaii or you have plans to move there send me an email and I would be happy to go into more detail.
Overall I am glad we got the opportunity to live in Hawaii and to get to know the culture and the people, even if it was just for a little while. Our future is uncertain as of right now, but I always like to look at our moves as a new adventure, and I really hope this is going to be a great one!
The Recipe: Puff Pastry with Quince and Macadamia Nut Cheese
Vegan puff pastry was not difficult to find, just check the ingredients to make sure it is made with vegetable shortening instead of butter. If you cannot find it, you can use phyllo dough instead. The quince paste you can find at your local hispanic grocery store as "ate de membrillo" or most mainstream grocery stores carry it in the fancy cheese section. If you can't find it, you can substitute with any fruit preserve you choose.
Puff Pastry with Quince and Macadamia Nut Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 Puff pastry sheet defrosted
- 1 recipe Macadamia nut cheese (see notes)
- ½ cup Quince paste
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400°F.
- Unfold the puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface.
- Roll out the puff pastry to a square twice the size of the cheese.
- Cut of the corners to make a sort of circle.
- Place the quince paste in the center of the sheet, then place the cheese on top.
- Brush the edge of the circle with water.
- Fold the top and bottom sides over the cheese and trim edges
- Press the side edges over the center of the cheese and press to seal.
- Flip the wrapped cheese so it is seam-side down on the baking sheet.
- Decorate with the pastry scraps, if desired. ( I did a flower)
- Brush with water
- Bake for 20 – 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
This sounds absolutely amazing! I've never heard of macadamia nut cheese before, but I am so excited to go check it out and give this a try! Perfect for a special event!
Thanks Mackenzie!! It's really quite simple to make. I hope you like it!