These elegant hot appetizers offer warm, soft muenster cheese, roasted red pepper, spinach and shallots tucked inside crisp, flaky puff pastry.

Muenster-en-Croute

3 red peppers
2 pounds spinach
1/4 cup minced shallots
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 packages (17 1/2 ounces each) frozen puff pastry, thawed
24 slices (1 pound) Wisconsin Muenster cheese
2 egg yolks, beaten
1/4 cup whipping cream

1. Place peppers on baking sheet; bake at 450°F (230°C) until charred, about 30 minutes. Wrap in plastic wrap; cool. Peel skin; seed. Cut into julienne pieces. Set aside.
2. Immerse spinach in large pot of boiling water 1 minute. Drain; rinse with cold water. Drain thoroughly; squeeze dry.
3. Sauté shallots in butter; combine with spinach and seasonings. Set aside.
4. Cut 1 package puff pastry into eight (6-inch) squares. On each piece of pastry, layer 1 slice cheese, 3 tablespoons spinach mixture, 1 slice cheese, several pepper strips and 1 slice cheese, leaving 1/2 inch edge all around pastry.
5. Combine egg yolks and whipping cream; brush on pastry edges.
6. Cut remaining package puff pastry into eight 7 inch squares. Place one on top of each 6 inch square; fold over edges, sealing pastry.
7. Brush tops with egg yolk mixture.
8. Place on cookie sheets; bake at 350°F (175°C) for 20 minutes or until golden brown and puffed.

Makes 8 servings.

Recipe provided courtesy of Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, Inc.