Spinach Puffs | The Emperor's New Groove

          Dear oafish Kronk from Disney's zany 2000 animated film "The Emperor's New Groove". All he ever wanted to be was a chef. And a scout master who talked to squirrels. But somehow he ended up being the henchman to the emaciated menace Yzma. Thankfully his talent for cooking stayed with him and we got some great scenes in the films. Thank you for your spinach puffs, Kronk, even if Yzma never liked them.

          Being largely for comedic effect, Kronk's love of cooking is also a testament to his kind and caring nature, as well as a plot device in his struggle for identity, explored more fully in the second movie, "Kronk's New Groove" wherein he seeks his father's approval.

Note: In "The Emperor's New Groove", Kronk's spinach puffs have exposed spinach (see image to the left). So when you make yours, feel free to not seal up one side, or two! In a few of my puff photos you'll see that I made some smaller ones with spinach showing. I simply pressed two opposing corners together on top. They don't really look like Kronk's but I wanted to experiment, and they cooked up fine. So fold 'em however you want! As long as you've got foil or parchment paper on your tray you don't need to worry about messes.

Kronk's Spinach Puffs

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Ingredients:
1 Pkg. Puff Pastry Sheets, thawed OR Homemade Puff Pastry (recipe here)
10 oz. Frozen Chopped Spinach, thawed & drained well (squeezing by hand w/ paper towels helps)
1 Cup Crumbled Feta (plain or flavored)
1 Onion, finely diced
Fresh Herb, like Parsley, Cilantro, or Dill, minced (optional)
3 Eggs
1 Tbsp. Water

Important Items:
Clean Kitchen Brush (like a small paintbrush, but for food use)
Parchment Paper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. In a medium bowl, mix together the drained spinach, crumbled feta, chopped onion, 2 of the eggs, & the optional fresh herbs. In a small bowl whisk the remaining egg with the water to create an egg wash.
2. Roll out the puffed pastry & cut into squares, depending on the size of spinach puffs you want. Place a small amount of the spinach mixture onto each square, leaving space between the mixture & the edges. Using a clean kitchen brush, brush the edges of the puff squares, one at a time, with the egg wash. Next, lift one corner of a square & fold it over to the opposite corner, creating a triangle with the spinach mixture inside. Press the edges closed using your fingers or a fork. Repeat this process until all of the squares are triangles (or you can press 2 corners together & leave the spinach exposed). Move the pre-puffs to a parchment-lined baking tray & brush the tops with the rest of the egg wash. Bake for about 20 mins. or until the puffs are nice & golden with a touch of brown. "Watch it. They're still hot." Best served warm.