Buffalo Chicken Puff Pastry Bites

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Shredded chicken filling

Shredded chicken filling

inspiration: Everybody loves a good Buffalo Chicken wing! We wanted to make a tasty appetizer but nothing typical because sometimes you don't want to mess with the bone. We deconstructed the flavors and put them in a nice tasty puff pastry package.

ingredients:

  • 1 package of puff pastry plus flour for dusting
  • 1 whole chicken, cooked and meat fork shredded
  • 2 cups Franks hot sauce
  • 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
  • 1/2 cup chopped scallions
  • 1/4 cup chopped jalapeños
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 2 eggs for egg wash

method: In a large bowl, combine the shredded chicken, hot sauce, blue cheese, scallions, jalapeños, salt and pepper and gently fold together.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Dust counter surface and roller with flour and cut each sheet into 9, 3x3" pieces. Take each piece, and roll out till about 3/8" thick and approximately 4x4". Place the mixture into the center of each piece, egg wash along the edges and fold over to form rectangles and crimp the edges with a fork to seal. Place each one on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper so they are crowded but not touching.

At this point you can do one of three things: cook them off, refrigerate for cooking later, or freeze for another day. If you are freezing, place the cookie sheet in the freezer and let them set for about 30 minutes before putting in a freezer bag so they dont stick together.

When ready to cook, egg wash the pieces (with egg and hot sauce for color and flavor) and place in the oven.  Bake for 20-30 minutes or until nice and golden brown.

Serve warm or room temperature and enjoy! These are also great served along side a blue cheese dip.

entertaining notes: These can be made ahead of time and frozen with the egg wash for about 2 months in the freezer.

Yields: Makes 18 puff pastry bites.

Spinach and Feta Rolls

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inspiration: Russian Piroshki are amazing, but now they're mini and bite sized!  We took a little Greek inspiration and made them with spinach and feta cheese.

ingredients:

  • 1 onion, chopped finely
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2, 10 oz. boxes frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
  • 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, grated
  • 1/2 lb. feta cheese
  • 4 eggs (3 for filling and 1 for puff pastry)
  • 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1, 17.3oz box puff pastry sheets flour (for dusting and rolling out puff pastry)

method: Cook onion and garlic in olive oil till just soft.  Let cool, add to a bowl, and incorporate the thawed spinach, nutmeg, feta cheese, eggs, and panko.  Roll out puff pastry sheet and cut into three strips.  Roll each strip out into about 4x10" pieces.  Place the spinach mixture in the center down the middle like a log.  Egg wash one long end of the puff pastry and roll the other end towards the egg wash side.  Seal by pressing lightly and move off to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, sealed side down.  Repeat with remaining 5 pieces of puff pastry and place all logs into the refrigerator to set up, about 20 minutes.  Remove logs and cut each one into 1 inch pieces, about 8-10 per log.  Place on cookie sheet and egg wash the tops.  Bake in a 425 degree oven for about 20 minutes, till golden brown.

entertaining notes: These can be made ahead, the cut 1 inch pieces can be frozen up to 1 week or more.

Yields: approximately 48-60 rolls

Mushroom Puffs

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inspiration: These adorable, little puff pastry nuggets were morphed from a recipe we found and loved for Mushroom Tartlets.  We took the base idea from the Tartlets and combined them with the more traditional method of Russian Piroshki which are larger and more like puff pastry pockets.  Since they are so tasty, we kept serving them at dinner parties as hors d'oeuvres and each time felt they were too big and so much work.  After a few trial runs and many many versions, we found that doing them this way allowed for more of a bite sized piece and a lot less effort for the hosts.  All in all, these are such a hit at parties and can be stuffed with virtually anything once you get the method down.

ingredients:

  • 1.5 lbs. white cap mushrooms, sliced (about 25-30 mushrooms)
  • 1 lb. portobello mushrooms, sliced (about 3 large caps)
  • 1 cup yellow onion, chopped (about 1 large)
  • 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp. fresh thyme
  • 2 tbsp. butter
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 4 tbsp. sherry vinegar
  • 1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp. truffle oil (optional, for increasing the mushroom-y flavor)
  • 1 - 1.5 cup panko
  • 5-6 eggs (3-4 for binding and 2 for egg wash)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 package puff pastry, thawed and ready to use

method: Saute mushrooms, onions, garlic, and thyme in butter and olive oil till very brown and cooked well, about 25 minutes.  Remove from heat and add the vinegar.  Allow to cool thoroughly and once cool, chop finely, and add the parsley and truffle oil.  Add the panko and 3-4 of the eggs to bind together, till it looks more like sausage meat and you can easily form the mixture into a log without it crumbling.

Dust counter surface and roller with flour and roll out each sheet of puff pastry dough into 3, 5x10" sheets.  Place mushroom mixture in a log down the middle of the long part of the sheet.  Egg wash one long end of the sheet and roll into a log.  Refrigerate or freeze till set or until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 425 (convect if possible).  Cut logs into 1" pieces, slightly on a bias.  Place on a baking sheet lined with parchement paper so they are crowded but not touching.  Egg wash the pieces (with just egg, no water) and place in the oven.  Bake for 20 minutes or until nice and golden brown and cooked.

Yields about 48 pieces