I have a friend who is a well-respected local chef and cookbook author. During this quarantine she has been sharing easy-to-make, unique recipes and I’ve been loving the kitchen inspiration she’s been sharing.

One of the recipes she shared recently was of a beautiful breakfast pastry made with herby scrambled eggs tucked beautifully into a sheet of pillowy puff pastry. So naturally, my mouth watering, I bought some puff pastry to give the recipe a try.

Now that I have some packages of the pastry in my freezer, it’s time to find more ways to use it. Off to Pinterest for a bunch of recipe ideas.

Because frozen puff pastry is so versatile, there are endless recipes perfect for fancy dinner parties, brunch or even just an easy lunch. Here are my favorite recipes for breakfast, desserts and main appetizers using easy-to-use puff pastry. For more ideas, visit our Money-Saving Recipes board on Pinterest.

Breakfast

Warm, flaky, perfectly baked pastry is a delicious addition to any beautiful breakfast spread. So naturally I love the idea of pastry filled with fluffy scrambled eggs enhanced with shaved ham, bacon, sausage, cheese and garden-fresh herbs. Because puff pastry is so versatile, you can take typical breakfast ingredients — savory or sweet — and braid the pastry around the fillings and create a beautiful centerpiece to any breakfast table.

Try this Puff Pastry Breakfast Pizza. On top of floured parchment, roll out puff pastry dough so it’s slightly thinner and there are no cracks. Fold the edges over slightly to create a crust. Prick the dough with a fork, but don’t pierce all the way through. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 425 degrees. Prick dough again to remove bubbles. Spinkle 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese on crust. Mix 5 eggs with 1/4 cup milk and salt and pepper to taste and pour on top of cheese. Add bacon crumbles. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 425 degrees.

Desserts

I’ve been watching reruns of “The Great British Baking Show” and I love when they have pastry week. I watch in amazement at the incredible desserts that are all possible using puff pastry. You can make danish, palmiers or elephant ears, layered mille feuilles, tarts, strudel and even cinnamon rolls. The buttery dough is the perfect encasement for any sweet filling like puddings, pastry creams, fruit compote, cream cheese and more.

Try these Lemon Puff Pastry Sticks. Mix zest from 2 lemons with 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Brush unfolded dough with 1/4 cup melted butter and sprinkle with lemon sugar. Cut dough into strips about 1-inch in width. Twist the strips into sticks and place on lined baking sheet. Bake 13-15 minutes at 425 degrees. While baking, make the icing with 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon melted butter and 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice. Allow pastry to cool a bit and drizzle with lemon icing.

Appetizers

Once we can finally get back to some normalcy after all our social distancing, I’m going to throw a dinner party. It’s been far too long since I’ve hosted a party, and I can’t think of any better reason than coming out of quarantine. So naturally, because I really want to wow my party guests, I’ll likely turn to puff pastry for my appetizer selection. Everything is better and prettier when packaged up in a pocket of browned, flaky pastry.

Try this recipe for Pear Tart with Blue Cheese. Cut two sheets of puff pastry into 6 total long rectangles, then cut into squares. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet and lightly score the center with a fork to avoid air bubbles. Brush outer edges with an egg wash of 1 beaten egg. Spread a small spoonful of fig jam in the center of each tart and then place 4-5 thin slices of pear in the center, overlapping them. Top the pears with blue cheese, pressing to ensure it stays put. Bake for 18-22 minutes at 400 degrees or until edges are dark golden.

– Jennifer Durrant