Cookaholics Bulletin Board

So it's that time of year again when I cook for a college Bible study connected with my church -- some of you have been very helpful to me in the past with savory appetizer suggestions. (I take a savory app, something sweet, and a dip with chips, plus some raw veggies.)

On tomorrow night's menu are the always beloved pigs in blankets. I roll out puff pastry and then cut the sheet into six squares, wrap up a regular hot dog and a sliver of cheddar in each square, chill them briefly and then cut each roll into fourths. I find with this volume, that's a lot easier than dealing with the cocktail wieners.

So my first question is -- do any of you hold puff pastry apps like that in the fridge overnight, or is it always best to freeze them and bake straight from the freezer? That's what I typically do, but the hot dogs had already been frozen so that made me wonder.

I'm also wondering if any of you have suggestions as far as how to keep the savory items crisp, when I'm baking them at home and then taking them to someone else's house, and then will need to reheat them a couple of hours later. This hasn't been a big issue in the past b/c I didn't get there until it was almost over and so would bake them and they'd still be ready to serve when I got there. But this year DD is going with me and so we're getting there when it starts, which means these puff pastry apps will get soggy if I cover them up or put them in a hot bag before we leave. The same will go for many of the other savory things I make, like egg rolls, mini empanadas (an Alina suggestion that the kids love), and quesadillas.

So should I fry/bake them, let them cool uncovered, and then flash-reheat them in a really hot oven for a few minutes before serving? Or is there a better way?

Thanks!

Emilie

I've taken these: http://www.canadianliving.com/food/puff_pastry_sausage_rolls.php before straight from an oven for a 15 minute ride covered loosely in foil and they were fine, not noticeably soggy. (note, these are fantastic if you are looking for idea for another gathering)
I think putting a layer of paper towel over them might help, but to my mind the key is to let some air in. A quick stop in a hot oven can't hurt.
I would freeze them, the hotdogs already having been frozen should be fine.

I reheat lots of things that did not do well being reheated in the past in the convection bake setting of my toaster oven. It reheats and recrisps almost everything (including fried empanadas, wontons, etc.). So if you have that available at all, that would work. If not, and you have a regular oven available, can you do a partial bake and then finish there?

Thanks for the ideas! I do this every week (except for school breaks), so those sausage rolls will definitely be on the table before long, Jean. They sound like exactly what I'm always looking for, as far as new savory options. And thanks for the tip about convection crisping, Alina. I was thinking earlier tonight, as I waited...and waited...and waited for the pastry on the hot dogs to puff and brown, that it might have made sense for me to bake them on the convection setting instead. I do use the oven at the hosts' home to heat the dip and also reheat anything else, so I did that tonight after letting the pigs/blankets cool completely, and there was no sogginess to be found.

That brings up an interesting point, though, as far as convection cooking. I have Bosch double wall ovens (that I like except for one ENORMOUS flaw that I've griped about before -- the oven light turns off automatically every time you open the door. But that's another story). The top oven has multiple convection settings, but I hardly ever use them. I think just because I don't know exactly how to adjust cooking times/temps, and I work best with specific instructions. I've heard that you decrease the temp by 25 degrees and shorten the cooking time, but would love any other tips that might help get me off the fence when it comes to using those features.

Thanks!

Emilie

I have a Dacor one. It has Pure Convection, Convection Bake, Convection Broil and maybe one more. I use convection bake most often (that is what my Breville Toaster Oven has as well.) I usually just turn on Convection Bake to 25°F less than for regular and also check them earlier, about 2-5 minutes earlier for short time baking, longer as the baking time increases. However, I have also baked without changing the temp, just reducing the time and they have turned out fine especially for savory dishes. For example for my favorite BACON-WRAPPED MEAT LOAF WITH BROWN SUGAR - KETCHUP GLAZE, I just use Convection Bake at 350° F, which is the same as for regular. It makes the bacon nice and crispy without drying out the loaf. I also use convection bake for my Artisan in Five breads.