Smoked Salmon Puffs
- One 9-ounce sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 3 sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
- 1 Kirby cucumber or 1/4 English cucumber
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons finely sliced chives
- Kosher salt
- 2 ounces smoked salmon
- 1/2 teaspoon black sesame seeds
- Special equipment: a 1 1/2-inch and a 3/4-inch round cookie cutter or the round end of a pastry tip, a pastry bag or resealable plastic bag
- Position an oven rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
- Unfold the pastry, and cut out rounds with a 1 1/2-inch round cookie cutter (you should get roughly 40).
- Space them at least 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Lightly score the center of each round with a 3/4-inch cookie cutter (don't press all the way through).
- Lightly brush each round with the egg.
- Invert another rimmed baking sheet on top of the dough rounds, and bake for 5 minutes.
- (Covering the rounds helps them puff straight up evenly.)
- Remove the top baking sheet, and continue to bake until golden, 8 to 10 minutes more.
- Let the rounds cool completely on the baking sheet, then use the handle of a wooden spoon to gently punch a hole in the middle of each round.
- (The baked pastry can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 day or frozen for up to 1 month.)
- Meanwhile, microwave the vinegar and sun-dried tomatoes in a small bowl, covered, for 30 seconds; let cool.
- Reserve 1 teaspoon of the vinegar, and finely chop the tomatoes.
- Finely shred the cucumber, and squeeze out all the excess moisture.
- Mash together the tomatoes, reserved vinegar, shredded cucumber, cream cheese, chives and 1/4 teaspoon salt with a fork in a medium bowl until smooth.
- Transfer the cream cheese filling to a pastry bag or resealable plastic bag (cut off the tip).
- (The filling can be refrigerated for up to 1 day.)
- Tear or cut the salmon into 40 small pieces, and roll each into a rough rosette shape.
- Pipe some of the filling into each puff.
- Top each with a piece of salmon, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- (The salmon puffs can be refrigerated for up to 2 hours.)
pastry, egg, white wine vinegar, tomatoes, cucumber, cream cheese, chives, kosher salt, salmon, black sesame seeds
Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/smoked-salmon-puffs.html (may not work)