Turkey Sausage & Sun-Dried Tomato Puff Pastry Pinwheels

¼ cup toasted walnuts

¾ ounce Asiago cheese, cut in ½-inch pieces

4 sun-dried tomato halves, reconstituted in ½ cup boiling water until softened, squeezed dry

1 shallot (1 ounce)

¼ pound Italian turkey sausage, roasted and cooled, cut in ¾-inch slices *

8 ounces cream cheese, regular or low-fat, not non-fat, cut in cubes

1 teaspoon dried basil

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed for 1 hour in the refrigerator

Egg wash: 1 egg + 2 tablespoons water, beaten together

Calories 90 (64% from fat) - carb. 5g - pro. 3g - fat 6g - sat. fat 2g - chol. 15mg - sod. 114mg - calc. 22mg - fiber 0g

1. Insert the metal blade. Place the walnuts in the work bowl.  Pulse to chop, 5 times; remove and reserve.

2. With the machine running, drop the cheese cubes down the small feed tube.  Process for 30 seconds until chopped; remove and reserve. Place sausage in work bowl, pulse to chop finely, about 20 to 30 times; remove and reserve. Place the sun-dried tomatoes in the work bowl and pulse 5 times to chop; remove and reserve. 

3. With the machine running, drop the shallots down the small feed tube, process for 5 seconds to chop.  Scrape the work bowl.  Add the cream cheese, basil and ground pepper to the bowl.  Use the pulse to blend, about 5 –10 times.  Scrape the work bowl.  Add the reserved chopped walnuts, Asiago cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. Use the pulse to blend, about 5 times.  Remove and reserve.   Stir in chopped turkey sausage.

4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each sheet of puff pastry to 10-x-12 inches.  Arrange the pastry on the work surface so that the long side is in front of you.  Brush the top inch of the pastry with the egg wash, making a 1-inch edge.  Using an offset spatula, spread one-half of the cream cheese mixture evenly on each of the puff pastry sheets.  Roll the pastry jellyroll style, evenly so that you roll into the egg-washed edge.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 8.  Cover and refrigerate the egg wash.

5. Preheat oven to 400º F.  Slice the puff pastry roll into 24 slices, each ½-inch thick.  (The sliced pinwheels may be frozen at this time.  Freeze the slices on a plastic wrap lined baking sheet in a single layer.  When frozen solid, transfer to a freezer bag.  Double wrap the bag to keep out freezer odors.  May be frozen up to 3 weeks.)  Arrange the puff pastry slices on a baking sheet about 1-inch apart.  Lightly brush with the egg wash.  Bake for 23 to 28 minutes, until puffed and golden.  Serve hot/warm.  If desired, they may be baked ahead, bake until light golden, cool, then refrigerate until ready to serve.  Reheat in a 300º F oven for about 5 minutes.

*To roast the turkey sausage, prick the sausage several times with a fork, rub lightly with about a ½ teaspoon of olive oil, then roast on a foil lined pan at 350º F for 25 to 30 minutes, turning after 15 minutes.