Pear Puff Pastry Pinwheel Appetizers

Pears in Puff Pastry Appetizers are deliciously fruity and savory bite-sized tarts all wrapped up in a flaky golden brown pastry. This easy appetizer recipe needs just seven ingredients and they look so fancy you can call them hors d'oeuvres.

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Pears are so underrated and for the most part, totally overlooked. Why, I don't know because I love a good fresh, ripe juicy pear. And I like to use fresh pears for baking, They add a sweet, and sometimes spicy flavor to cobblers, pies, and muffins. So next time you are thinking of using an apple in a recipe, switch it out for a pear.

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Why you will love these appetizer pinwheels

• These flaky pastries are bite-sized, which I think makes them a perfect appetizer.  I just don’t like fiddling with messy appetizers that fall apart after one bite or having to get the gooey cheese on my cracker while holding a glass of wine.  Do ya know what I mean???
• All of these ingredients are perfect for a fruit and cheese tray by themselves, but cutting them up and rolling them in puff pastry makes a simple but delicious appetizer.
• This is one easy recipe that uses frozen puff pastry sheets and a quick trip in the oven for baking.
• Try these other appetizer recipes made with puff pastry. Bake these sweet Apricot Parmesan Puff Pastry Bites. or these savory Puff Pastry Appetizers with caramelized onions.
• 🍐Your ingredient list  

• Puff Pastry - use your favorite frozen pastry.
• Pear - I used a red d'anjou
• Asiago Cheese - I use Peppered Asiago
• Pistachios
• Dried Cranberries
• Egg
• Sea Salt

For this recipe, you just need one pastry sheet and it does need to be thawed. Many of the boxes of puff pastries contain two sheets. You can keep the other for later, or you can double the recipe and make two rolls.

If you choose to make both rolls you can of course bake them both, or you can wrap one in wax paper and foil then freeze for later.

👩🏻‍🍳Ready, let's bake

Step 1. Cut the pear in half and remove the core then slice and cut into small cubes.

Step 2. On a cutting board chop the pistachios and cranberries into smaller pieces with a chef knife. Remove the leaves from the rosemary and chop.

Step 4. Unfold the thawed pastry sheets on a floured board and roll the sheet so it is a bit larger and thinner. There is no special size, just don't make it super thin.

Step 3. Use a grater to shred the cheese unless you prefer to use pre-shredded cheese which will work just as well.

Step 5. Spread the pears, cheese, pistachios, and cranberries on the puff pastry sheet. Leave a ½" on one side of the dough empty.

Step 6. From the longest side start rolling the pastry over the pear filling. Roll as tightly as you can.

Step 7. Beat the egg in a small bowl, then brush that onto the open end of the pastry sheet to act as glue, then finish rolling the pinwheels. Turn the dough over so the seam side is facing down.

Step 8. Brush the top of the roll with the remaining egg wash and sprinkle with salt. This is optional but tasty!

Step 9. Wrap the prepared roll in wax paper and chill for an hour before slicing. At this time you can leave the roll in the fridge for several days. When you are ready to bake, heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Step 10. Remove the rolls from the fridge and place them on a cutting board and cut them into ½" slices. Place the rolls on a silicon baking mat. Bake for 17-20 minutes.

Baking tip - It is best to place these rolls on a silicone baking mat since the pears will caramelize and may stick to parchment paper.

Step 11. Serve these pinwheels warm. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

So, so simple. You can even keep the unbaked pastry rolls in the freezer for up to three months.  It's a good appetizer to have on hand.

One bite and you will know why these are my favorite appetizers.  The pears and cranberries add some sweetness and the peppered Asiago cheese, rosemary and pistachios add a nice savory component to these pinwheels. 

These are best served warm and they won't last long, and I promise these pinwheels will impress your guests.

FAQ's

🍐About pears

I love using fruit that is in season when baking, it's fresh, flavorful, juicy, and ripe. You can definitely buy pears year around but most pears are in season from August through January and there are so many tasty varieties to choose from.

The Difference between a Bosc and an Anjou Pear

• The Bosc pear is the one with cinnamon-colored skin and a beautiful pear shape.  This sweet pear has a firm but juicy texture and is the best pear for baking.
• The Anjou pear has that pretty green skin or the deep red-colored skin. The texture of this pear is soft and juicy, and moderately sweet.
• Read about when pears are in season in the January Seasonal Fruit Guide.

Variations

These pinwheels are so easy to make and you can easily change up the ingredients.

• You can use pecans instead of pistachios or use them both
• Apples are a good substitute for the pears
• Use a different hard cheese like parmesan, or gouda instead of Asiago cheese
• Add dried cherries instead of dried cranberries
• Add chives instead of rosemary.

Try more fast and easy appetizers

Savory Mini Swiss Cheese Quiches

Mini Chicken Taco Cups

Rosemary and Asiago Cheese Popcorn

Savory Cotswold Cheese Crackers

Baked Jalapeno Popper Rolls

Don't forget the ingredients

To make these pinwheels you need a few basics to get you going

Puff pastry is the base of these pinwheels and Pepperidge Farms Frozen Puff Pastry is available at most stores. Asiago cheese has a delicious nutty flavor and is perfect for shredding or grating.

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Thank you for stopping by the One Hot Oven blog.  Please leave a comment to say Hello or just let me know what you are baking these days, I always love hearing from fellow bakers. Have any questions or just want to chat about the recipe? My contact information is on my about page, and I’ll be happy to help.                                                                                                                                                     

About Jere'              

From learning to cook on a farm in Indiana to culinary school in California, my passion for food is never-ending.  Turning on my oven to bake something for friends and family is my happy place, and I am glad to be here at One Hot Oven sharing both sweet and savory family-friendly recipes for your cooking and baking inspiration.