Manchego cheese is a semisoft Spanish cheese that is has a nice nutty flavor that lends itself well to make a dessert. The ingredients complement the cheese perfectly. This is a great dessert for those of us that don’t have a big sweet tooth, but want a slightly sweet ending to our meal. Pair this with a ruby port for a wonderful finish to your meal. The reason for using Spicewood Food Company Balsamic Vinegar Aged 18 Years is that it is like a balsamic reduction which is sweet and smooth.  Makes 12 as shown. See Chatty Advice below for an alternative use for the puff pastry.
Ingredients
1 sheet of Pepperidge Farm brand puff pastry sheets
1 pound package of Manchego cheese
3/4 of a cup of fig jam or marmalade
Non-stick cooking spray
Spicewood Balsamic Vinegar Aged 18 Years for drizzling
Technique
Let puff pastry dough thaw slightly and unfold. Place puff pastry onto a baking sheet coated with non-stick cooking spray. Cut along the two crease lines and then cut each piece into 4 pieces for a total of 12 pieces. Spray the tops with non-stick cooking spray and bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 10 – 15 minutes until lightly golden and puffed. Allow to cool. Once pastry has cooled, gently pull top and bottom apart as you would a roll. Gently spread about one tablespoon of the fig jam over all bottom pieces of the pastry pieces and set aside. Cut cheese into pieces about 2 inches by 2 inches and 1/4 inch in height. Preheat a grill or grill pan to low and grill on each side for about 30 seconds for a total time of one minute or until slightly melting at the edges. Remove cheese from the grill and place directly onto each puff pastry sheet with the fig jam. Plate and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. The best way to these is to pick them up and eat as you would a sandwich.
Chatty Advice
If you want to make extra puff pastry or if you don’t want to use all of them for dessert, kids love them with their favorite jam or peanut butter spread on them as a mini sandwich.
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