I am going to use the pre-baked puff pastry idea myself in the future. Here is a to-die-for recipe for chicken potpie from Ina Garten. When I made it, I just used a "red box" pie crust (I'm so NOT a baker). I baked the filling as a whole double-crusted pie. Even though I used a deep dish pie plate, I had filling leftover. I froze that. Can't remember if I've used it yet or not - I'll have to go look lol! Ingredients: 3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on 3 tablespoons olive oil Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade 2 chicken bouillon cubes 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter 2 cups yellow onions, chopped (2 onions) 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup heavy cream 2 cups medium-diced carrots, blanched for 2 minutes 1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas (2 cups) 1 1/2 cups frozen small whole onions 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves For the pastry: 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 cup vegetable shortening 1/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced 1/2 to 2/3 cup ice water 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash Flaked sea salt and cracked black pepper Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into large dice. You will have 4 to 6 cups of cubed chicken. In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and heavy cream. Add the cubed chicken, carrots, peas, onions and parsley. Mix well. For the pastry, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the shortening and butter and mix quickly with your fingers until each piece is coated with flour. Pulse 10 times, or until the fat is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Divide the filling equally among 4 ovenproof bowls. Divide the dough into quarters and roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Brush the outside edges of each bowl with the egg wash, then place the dough on top. Trim the circle to 1/2-inch larger than the top of the bowl. Crimp the dough to fold over the side, pressing it to make it stick. Brush the dough with egg wash and make 3 slits in the top. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot. seagrass

I was with you until the Sprite. I think the baked apple wrapped in puff pastry would be delicious - just a tad flakier than the crescent roll version. I'm not sure how it would react to the liquid though - I worry you'd get a crispy, flaky top and a soggy bottom. And looking back at the date of your post, I see that Grandma's birthday was last weekend, so I am no help. How did it go?

Can't remember who posted this, but I tried them (I left out the caraway seeds because I don't like them). They are really good. ONION BRIE PALMIERS 2 medium onions, thinly sliced 3 Tblsp. butter or margarine 2 Tblsp. brown sugar 1/2 tsp. white wine vinegar or cider vinegar 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed 4 oz. Brie or Camembert, rind removed, softened 1 to 2 tsp. caraway seeds 1 egg 2 tsp. water In a large skillet, cook the onions, butter, brown sugar, and vinegar over medium-low heat until onions are golden brown, stirring frequently. Remove with a slotted spoon; cool to room temperature. On a lightly floured surface, roll puff pastry into an 11- x 8-inch rectangle. Spread Brie over pastry. Cover with the onions; sprinkle with caraway seeds. Roll up one long side to the middle of the dough; roll up the other side so the two rolls meet in the center. Using a serrated knife, cut into 1/2-inch slices. Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets; flatten to 1/4-inch thickness. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. In a small bowl, beat egg and water; brush over slices. Bake at 375° F. for 12 to 14 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Serve warm. Yield: 1-1/2 dozen. Another we really liked: SPINACH AND ARTICHOKES IN PUFF PASTRY 1 (10-ounce) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed 1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 tsp. onion powder 1 tsp. garlic powder 1/2 tsp. pepper 1 (17.3-ounce) package frozen puff pastry Drain spinach well, pressing between layers of paper towels. Stir together spinach, artichoke hearts, and next 5 ingredients. Thaw puff pastry at room temperature 30 minutes. Unfold pastry, and place on a lightly floured surface or heavy-duty plastic wrap. Spread one-fourth spinach mixture evenly over pastry sheet, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Roll up pastry, jellyroll fashion, pressing to seal seam; wrap in heavy-duty plastic wrap. Repeat procedure with remaining pastry and spinach mixture. Freeze 30 minutes; cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices. (Rolls may be frozen up to 3 months.) Bake at 400° F. for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 4 dozen. Source: Southern Living, Top-Rated Recipe, November 2000".

I've made a croquembouche before for a brunch I hosted one New Year's. Cream puffs are made using pate choux, a very easy pastry. Either dollop the dough by the spoonful or pipe them using a pastry bag or even a ziploc bag with the corner clipped. You can fill the baked & cooled puffs with pastry cream, pudding, or leave them unfilled. Then you make a caramel syrup (sugar melted and caramelized). Dip a part of the puff in the caramel and create a circle, then you build on the circle, forming the croquembouche pyramid. I made a little spun sugar, using the caramel to create little strands of sugar. Before the strands cool all the way, you can wrap it around the croquembouche. It's really pretty. I'll bet you'll be able to find a youtube video on how to create one. And I'm sure there are a ga-jillion recipes on the web for the puffs. Lori