Norwalk, Conn., November 17, 2011—While a compliment-worthy recipe can add a little extra cheer to the holiday season, any entertaining occasion is the right time for hosts to impress their guests with dishes that are honestly simple yet undeniably elegant. Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry—trusted year-round as a key ingredient in the creation of truly commendable appetizers, entrées and desserts—continues its special partnership with celebrated culinary expert and television personality Gail Simmons, whose exclusive Puff Pastry recipes will earn home cooks plentiful praise during this holiday season and beyond.

 

Simmons, judge of Bravo’s Emmy-winning show Top Chef, host of the network’s spin-off hit Top Chef: Just Desserts and long-time Puff Pastry fan, said, “The versatility of Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry makes it an essential ingredient when I’m entertaining at home.” The food critic, trained chef, and Food & Wine magazine contributor continued, “When hosting friends and family, there is a unique satisfaction one gets when receiving compliments on their dish, and cooking with Puff Pastry always seems to heighten my guests’ appreciation for what I’ve created.” Her original recipe collection, which is available on www.PuffPastry.com, includes new appetizers like flavorful Thai Shrimp Spirals and Spinach and Feta Mini-Calzones, as well as irresistibly sweet desserts like Red Raspberry & White Chocolate Cream Hand Pies, and makes elegant entertaining easy.

 

Puff Pastry beginners and experts alike are encouraged to share their best recipes, tips and photographs on the brand’s new Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/PuffPastry), which launched this fall. Over the next few months, Gail will “like” submissions she finds the most compliment-worthy. Consumers are also invited to follow Gail Simmons on Twitter at http://twitter.com/gailsimmons for additional Puff Pastry tips and recipes.

 

By visiting www.PuffPastry.com, consumers can gain access to Gail’s Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry recipe collection, which also includes show-stopping recipes like PB&J Doughnuts and Smoked Salmon Blini Puffs, as well as more than 350 other Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry appetizer, entrée and dessert recipes, new how-to videos, special offers and more. From the new Campbell’s Kitchen recipes that bring out the best in seasonal produce, like Honeycrisp Apple, Cheddar and Cranberry Turnovers, to those that are ideal for game day, like Philly Cheesesteak Rolls and Swedish Meatball Cups, or a casual weekend brunch, like Bacon, Egg and Cheese Pastry Shells, home cooks will delight in the many ways Puff Pastry can ‘wow’ everyone on their guest list. Baked Monte Cristo Sandwiches, Blueberry Cheesecake Danish, Caramelized Onion and Prosciutto Tart, Chocolate Hazelnut and Banana Pillows, Grilled Fruit and Cream Puffs, Key Lime Tarts, Mojito Cream Puffs, Pork Florentine en Croute, Sweetheart Palmiers and Wicked Dessert Puffs are just some of the latest, delicious recipes from Campbell’s Kitchen that have also been recently added to the web site.

 

Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets and Shells are available in the freezer section at major supermarkets, grocery stores and mass merchandisers nationwide for a suggested retail price of $3.69 and $4.72 respectively. For more information, visit www.PuffPastry.com. Puff Pastry enthusiasts are encouraged to follow Pepperidge Farm on Twitter at http://twitter.com/PepperidgeFarm and http://twitter.com/PFPuffPastry.

Pepperidge Farm, Incorporated, based in Norwalk, Connecticut, is a leading provider of premium quality fresh bakery products, cookies, crackers, and frozen foods. The company was named the #1 Place to Work in Connecticut in the large companies category of the Best Places to Work in Connecticut competition for 2009. Among the company’s most popular products are Sausalito^® and Milano^® cookies, Goldfish^® crackers, Baked Naturals^® crackers, frozen Puff  Pastry, frozen garlic loaves and Texas toasts, and more than 50 varieties of fresh baked breads including Pepperidge Farm^® Swirl, Farmhouse and Whole Grain. The company added Ecce Panis^® gourmet artisan breads to its portfolio in 2009. Pepperidge Farm was founded in Connecticut in 1937 by Margaret Rudkin, an entrepreneurial homemaker who began baking fresh, all-natural bread for her allergy-afflicted son. The company is now a nationwide business with 9 manufacturing facilities and almost 5,000 employees. Pepperidge Farm has been part of Campbell Soup Company since 1961.