Olive Puffs by Martha

I served these Olive Puffs on Saturday night and everyone seemed to enjoy them. Here's a version of a recipe that I saw Michel Roux demo on Martha Stewart. I tried very hard to make the "olive straws", but that was was beyond my capabilities, so I settled for slicing the olives in halves instead of 1/4 inch lines and offering 1/2 puff pastry olive as a serving. I found that the pastry actually worked better withour the flour and egg that Martha Stewart suggests below. The only other thing different in the preparation was that instead of being in the oven for 5 minutes, it took about 15 minutes for the puff pastry to brown. You can find a photo of the "olive straws" at the following link:

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/olive-straws?autonomy_kw=Michel Roux&rsc=header_3

Makes 12
All-purpose flour, for work surface

13 ounces puff pastry
15 large green pimento stuffed olives, about 1 1/4 inches long
1 medium egg yolk
1 tablespoon milk

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out puff pastry to a 12 1/2-by-6-inch rectangle, about 1/8-inch thick. Using a large sharp knife, cut the rectangle into a 5 1/2-by-6-inch rectangle and a 7-by-6-inch rectangle. Place both rectangles on a baking sheet and transfer to refrigerator; let chill 20 minutes.

Place the 5 1/2-by-6-inch rectangle on a baking sheet. Place 5 olives, end-to-end, in a straight line along the short side of the rectangle, leaving about a 5/8-inch border. Repeat process two more times to make three lines of olives. In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk and milk. Brush egg mixture on all exposed spaces between olives. Cover with the 7-by-6-inch rectangle of puff pastry, pressing the whole surface of the dough between the olives firmly with your fingertips. Transfer to refrigerator; let chill 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Using a very sharp knife, trim edges of dough; cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide straws. Lay flat-side down on a baking sheet. Transfer to oven and bake until pastry is golden and crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer straws to a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm.