Some New Whirls From MyKitchen

Most of you probably know that I like to cook. Usually I cook every evening for my family, and usually it's a dinner made from scratch - with the exception of most Fridays that I have declared to junk food Fridays. Sundays are very low key as well. But apart from that, I cook, and usually I love it. I would even say I'm a pretty darn good cook.

Every other Thursday we meet with our German friends. We always meet in someone's home and everybody brings something to eat. Sometimes I bake bread and make Obatzter, sometimes I let Trader Joe's cook (meaning I throw some prepared food in the oven) and sometimes I try something new. It really depends on my mood.

A few weeks ago I made sun-dried tomato and Parmesan whirls for the first time. When I try a recipe for the first time I follow it to the book. After that I add my alterations. This one turned out not quite the way I had hoped, but it was still delicious, and therefore I present to you my very own version.

You will need:

1 package puff pastry (the all-butter sheets)
1 jar sun-dried tomatoes
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg

Drain the sun-dried tomatoes and dice. Roll the pastry into a thin rectangle (you will actually get two of them) and evenly cover with the diced tomatoes, leaving a bit of space at the edges. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top of the tomatoes.

Beat the egg. Brush one long edge of the pastry with the egg and roll up the pastry into a log from the opposite side. "Glue" together. Transfer the rolled up pastry to a baking sheet and refrigerate for one hour.

After one hour, take the logs out of the fridge and brush with the beaten egg (I put the egg back into the fridge as well). Cut the logs in 0.5" wide slices (this is the messy part). Place these on a cookie sheet and brush with the remaining egg (yes, that one egg goes a long way!).

The whirls are baked in the oven at 400° F for 30 minutes, until they are golden brown. The whirls can be served warm or cold.

Enjoy!