Three ways with puff pastry

Guests on the way? Make a fuss-free, flaky appetizer or dessert with frozen store-bought puff pastry.

Zaatar Straws
A savory Middle Eastern spice mix, zaatar typically includes sesame seeds, thyme, marjoram, and sumac and is often sprinkled onto pita bread spread with thick, strained yogurt (labneh). Here, we sprinkled zaatar onto puff-pastry straws and paired them with a creamy, garlicky yogurt dip.

Garlicky Yogurt Dip
This creamy dip is a delicious, cooling complement to Zaatar straws.

Prosciutto-Parmesan Straws
These salty, rich straws are terrific with cocktails.

Mushroom Puffs
An intensely flavored mushroom-wine filling, a simple custard, and voilà ― miniature, quichelike puffs.

Leek-Bacon Puffs
Perfect for a wintertime cocktail party.

Burnt-Caramel Rum-Banana Tart
Try different fruits and syrups or glazes ― raspberries with chocolate sauce, for instance, or apricots with blueberry preserves, heated just until they're liquefied. Use fruits that aren't too juicy, or else the crust will be soggy.