If you need to make a fancy looking appetizer that is surprisingly easy to put together, try this mushroom puff pastry. If you’ve read my pie crust philosophy, you won’t be surprised to learn that I don’t make my own puff pastry either. There are several, very good, ready-made, frozen puff pastry brands, and using one of them makes this fancy dish a snap.
Use whatever wild mushrooms you have on hand: morels, chicken of the woods, chanterelles, porcini, oysters, etc. If you dried your mushrooms earlier in the year, rehydrate them in warm water and save the liquid. You can add it to soup or stock, or use it the next time you sauté onions or garlic for a little extra umami flavor.
What You’ll Need to Make Mushroom Puff Pastry
- 1 sheet puff pastry
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup slivered onions
- 2 cups sliced wild mushrooms, fresh or rehydrated
- 1/4 cup white wine
- salt & pepper
- 2 Tablespoons plus 1 Tablespoon chopped chives
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup your favorite cheese (grated if it’s hard like Gruyère and crumbled if it’s soft like feta)
- 1 egg
What You’ll Do to Make Mushroom Puff Pastry
Preheat your oven to 400F.
Puff pastry is sold frozen, and the working temperature of the dough is important. On a floured cutting board or countertop, thaw one sheet for about 30 – 40 minutes.
While the pastry is thawing, heat the olive oil in a frying pan and sauté the onions until they are tender and translucent. Add the mushrooms and cook them over medium high heat until they start to brown; you want a little caramelization on the mushrooms. When the mushrooms begin to look golden brown, add the wine, and stir until it’s absorbed.
Add salt and pepper to taste, and remove the mushrooms from the heat. Allow them to cool slightly, then fold in the sour cream, cheese, and chopped chives.
Return to your puff pastry. It should be stiff and barely flexible; you don’t want a soft and squishy puff pastry dough. When it has thawed enough to be unfolded, unfold it. Then, roll it out gently with a rolling pin. The resulting rectangle should be about 8″ x 12″. Cut the pastry dough into four equal parts and spoon three tablespoons of the mushroom mixture into the center of each rectangle. Pull the four corners into the center and pinch them together with wet fingers. (A tiny bit of water makes the dough stick together.)
Beat the egg with a tablespoon of water and brush it on the outside of the pastry, then sprinkle with a few more chives. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, or until the top layers of pastry are perfectly golden brown. This dish is best served right away, although it also warms up nicely in a 200F oven for 5 minutes, if, under highly unlikely circumstances, you have leftovers.
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