Pastry Tostadas... Yummy!

yesterday, I was browsing PuffPastry.com, and I came across a recipe that I just had to try. I bought some puff pastry shells... oh, back last summer some time. Im not really sure why I bought them... I think I was just in an adventurous mood at the store. anyway, when I came across a recipe for puff pastry tostadas that used puff pastry shells, I was soooo happy to finally have a use for them.

I had Sweetheart pull the ground beef and the pastry shells from the freezer to defrost. that way, everything was ready to go by the time I made it home from work. (oh, and how awesome is it when you dont have to go to the store for ONE thing?? I love when I have everything already!) I used the recipe from puffpastry.com as a guide, but I made the meat like my mom taught me. =)

Pastry Tostadas

about 1 lb of ground beef
taco seasoning (either a packet or several tablespoons)
can of tomato sauce
packet of puff pastry shells (there are 6 in a package)
tomatoes
green onions
avocado
shredded cheese
a bit of flour

take shells out of the freezer to defrost (at least 40 minutes).

preheat the oven to 400 degrees. on a lightly floured surface, roll out the shells. mine were not round, sadly, but were more like boat-shaped. eh, tastes the same. I need to practice with my rolling pin more often! place pastry on a baking sheet. I fit about 4 on a sheet. prick generously with a fork. (thats so they dont actually puff up.) I pricked mine all over. I thought I might have over-pricked, but they came out nicely. cook for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

while your pastries are cooking, brown the hamburger on medium-high heat. I broke it up quite a bit, since I didnt want huge clumps of meat on the tostadas. once the meat is browned, youre supposed to drain all the oil from the meat. my mom doesnt do that. not sure why, but since she doesnt, neither do I. add in the taco seasonings and the can of tomato sauce. stir, then leave the meat on low while youre pastries finish up.

when the pastries are done, you are supposed to let them sit for at least 10 minutes to cool.... yeah, that didnt happen in my house. Sweetheart was starving and the kitchen was smelling good, so I just pulled the pastries off the baking sheet and put them straight on his plate. maybe its because I didnt roll mine very thin, but the pastries were very sturdy. I added the meat, cheese, tomato,and avocado (I forgot the green onion) on top. Sweetheart had three (!) and I had two. the second one never got soggy, even though I made them at the same time but ate the second one a bit later.

this was a huge hit. next time, Im gonna add beans and remember to put the green onions on! (and, p.s. Im so proud of myself cause I actually took a picture of the food that I made AND posted it. Im on a roll!!)