Baked Cheese in Pastry Appetizer

I am about to share a really guarded recipe that I have had for about 30 years! I cannot tell you where I got it or what the appetizer is really called. But since I need to call it something I will just say Baked Cheese in Pastry Appetizer.

This is an appetizer that I have made countless times over the years for a night just like last night. We were having a few neighbors over last evening. It was somewhat of a last minute shindig. Since I was hosting and cleaning up for company, I needed a few quickie appetizers to throw together in a hurry. I had picked up a few cheater frozen appetizers at Trader Joe’s (that incidentally are quite good), but being the author of a food blog I could not really serve those now could I?

So, this is when this great appetizer comes into play! Every time I have made this people want to know what is in it and want the recipe! They always ask (as our foodie friend did last night) if I made the pastry? What else is in it besides what I told them? It tastes and looks far more complicated to make than it is and isn’t that what you want to serve your guests???

No one will ever know unless you tell them or they are reading this blog! So here it goes…..

Baked Cheese in Pastry Appetizer

1 8 oz. package cream cheese (I use Philly because it’s the best and I am from there! By the way – do not use low-fat!)
1 small container crescent rolls (4 pack)
Dill weed (just the dried stuff) – Use enough to fully cover the top of the cream cheese, approximately 1 tsp.
1 egg, beaten with a few drops of water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lay the crescent roll dough out on a lightly floured surface. Pinch seams together to make one solid piece of dough. Put the cream cheese on top. Sprinkle with dill weed to taste. (I went a little light on the stuff last night not knowing people’s preference in the dill department. I usually cover the cream cheese pretty thoroughly).

Turn the cream cheese over so that the side with the dill weed is face down. Seal up all the seams of the dough and turn it right side up. Put in a Pam coated baking dish.

Brush with beaten egg. If you are feeling fancy, cut out an additional piece of dough to decorate the top (like I did). Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Serve with crackers (I like to serve it with Pepperidge Farm whole wheat crackers).

Voila!

You will have an elegant and delicious appetizer that will impress your guests! The cream cheese tastes as though it has been mixed with other ingredients after it bakes in this crust and almost has a whipped consistency. The crescent dough surprisingly has a real pastry taste and texture. Best of all, it really is quite attractive! I must say it is a pretty nifty recipe with so little effort involved. We all need a few things like this in our recipe files to fall back on when we are hosting guests last minute and pressed for time. Enjoy!