Cheese, Bacon, Date, and Chipotle Turnovers

Instructions

1. Set the puff pastry out on the counter to thaw. *Follow the recommended thawing time on the package instructions, which should be around 40 minutes. You want the pastry to be cold, but malleable.
2. Heat olive or vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring frequently, until crisp.
3. While the bacon cooks, remove 3 chipotle peppers from a can of chipotle in adobo sauce. Scrape the seeds from the peppers and dice.  Dice the dates.
4. Set a colander over a bowl, scrape the cooked bacon into the colander, and allow the bacon to drain for a couple of minutes. Do not rinse out the pan - you want a thin film of bacon fat across the bottom of the pan.
5. Put the bacon back in the pan along with the diced chipotle peppers and dates. Set the pan back over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Scrape the mixture into a bowl and let cool to room temperature while you prepare the cheese and pastry.
6. Add the grated cheese, cream cheese, salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper to a bowl and stir to mix.
7. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Add the egg white to a small bowl and add 1 teaspoon cold water. Whisk with a fork for 10-15 seconds. Set aside.
8. Lay one sheet of puff pastry on a clean work surface that's been lightly dusted with flour. Roll out the sheet to a 12-inch square (approximately). Cut the sheet into 4 squares. Then, cut each square diagonally into triangles, so that you have a total of 8 triangles.
9. Add a generous tablespoon of the cheese mixture to one side of a puff pastry triangle, and spread it out slightly. Top with a generous tablespoon or two of the bacon-date mixture. Brush the edges with egg white and fold the pastry up and over the filling, stretching it as you do so that the filling is completely covered. Press down the edges slightly to seal. Use a spatula to lift the triangle onto the parchment covered baking sheet. Press the tongs of a fork around the edges of the triangle to seal the dough completely. Repeat with the remaining triangles. Brush the tops of the turnovers with egg white and sprinkle with a bit of ground black pepper.
10. Bake turnovers for 25 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. (*Note: If assembling and baking all the turnovers at once, keep one sheet of assembled turnovers in the refrigerator while working to assemble the others. Otherwise, bake one sheet of turnovers immediately after assembling them; while they bake, assemble the remaining sheet of turnovers.)
11. Serve soon after baking, or cover with foil and keep warm in a 200 degree oven.