While your puff pastry dough is thawing, open the package of Baby Bell cheese and start taking off the wax covering on each small ball of cheese.
If you used jarred olives, drain them and reserve the juice in case you don’t use all the olives and want to store them in a jar with juice.
Pat the olives dry with a paper towel and place them in a bowl on the counter.
When your puff pastry dough is thawed, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
Prepare a sheet cake pan or a cookie sheet by covering the bottom with parchment paper.
Lay one sheet of puff pastry out flat on a very-lightly floured board.
Use a rolling pin to “erase” the folds from the puff pastry, but don’t apply very much pressure.
When the fold marks have been erased, dust a little extra flour over the dough and roll it into an 8-inch by 12-inch rectangle. It helps to have a ruler or tape measure handy.
Cut the short side (8-inch side) into two equal pieces that will turn out to be 4 inches by 12 inches apiece.
Cut each 12-inch side into thirds, making six squares with 4-inch sides.
Break an egg into a cup. Add the Tablespoon of water and whisk it up briskly. This will be your egg wash.
Cut a Baby Bell cheese ball in half horizontally, so you have two pieces. You will use one piece for every Cheesy Pepperoni Bite.
Place half of the cheese ball in the center of a piece of puff pastry, the cut side of the cheese facing up.
Place a piece of pepperoni on top of the cut side of the cheese.
Cut a Kalamata olive in half and place one half on top of the pepperoni, cut side down.
Use a pastry brush to brush the inside edges of the puff pastry square with the egg wash. This will make the edges stick together when you fold the dough over the cheese ball.
Use a sharp knife to cut a line from one corner of the puff pastry in until it almost reaches the cheese ball.
Repeat this action for the three other corners.
Pick up one side of the puff pastry and fold it up over the cheese ball, pepperoni, and olive.
Fold the opposite side of the puff pastry up over the top and press it down on the other piece that is already there. It should stick because of the adhesive properties of the egg wash.
Repeat with the other two sides of the square, pulling them up and over the top and making sure that they stick to each other.
Brush the top of the cheese, pepperoni, and olive packet with the egg wash.
Sprinkle on a little Kosher salt or sea salt and place it on the parchment paper in your prepared pan or cookie sheet.
Repeat for all 6 squares.
Prepare the second sheet of puff pastry the same way you prepared the first, cut it into 6 squares and make 6 more appetizers.
When all the Cheesy Pepperoni Bites have been filled, sealed, brushed with egg wash, and sprinkled with Kosher or sea salt, it’s time to bake them.
Bake your appetizers at 400 degrees F. for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they’re golden brown on top.
Remove the pan or cookie sheet to a wire rack and let the Cheesy Pepperoni Bites cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
Serve your Cheesy Pepperoni Bites immediately on a pretty platter for a delicious party appetizer.
Yield: 12 crowd-pleasing appetizers.
Chapter Sixteen
“Here we are,” Michelle said, pulling into the empty parking spot reserved for penthouse guests.
“Sorry it took so long to get that recipe from Sally,” Hannah said. “She was really busy and had to wait for a break so she could copy it for me.”
“That’s okay. I wanted an extra cup of coffee anyway. I just wish I’d asked you to get a copy for that wonderful cheesecake I had. It was really fantastic.”
“You had the Peanut Butter Cheesecake with Chocolate Sauce, didn’t you?”
“Yes, and I was going to let you taste it, but my fork kept right on digging into it until it was gone. Really, Hannah. It was fantastic. I need to find out how hard it is to make.”
“I’ll get the recipe tomorrow while you’re at rehearsal,” Hannah promised. “I have to go back out there anyway. Sally said she had something to tell me, but the kitchen staff kept interrupting her. She said it was confidential and asked me to come out and have lunch with her so we wouldn’t be interrupted.”
“That’s intriguing. I wonder what Sally knows.”
“I’ll find out tomorrow and I’ll let you know as soon as I know. And now, before we go in, I’ve got to bring up another problem.”
Michelle paused with her hand on the door handle. “What problem is that?”
“How do we keep Mother from going down to Tori’s apartment with me?”
“With you?” Michelle noticed the singular rather than the plural, just as Hannah had expected she would.
“Yes. I’ve been locked up in jail before and I don’t want it to happen to you. I know that Doc is going to try to prevent Mother from going with me, and I know he could use your help to keep her in their penthouse while I’m searching for Tori’s business manager’s name.”
“No way, Hannah!” Michelle said firmly. “I’m going with you and that’s that! It’ll go much faster with two of us searching and that means the risk to both of us will be minimized. You can’t argue with that.”
“True,” Hannah admitted, “but you’re my baby sister. I have a duty to protect you from harm.”
“Maybe you did when I was three but, just in case you haven’t noticed, I’m an adult now. That means I make my own decisions and I’ve decided to go with you.”
“But . . . I want to protect you.”