12 days of christmas treats: traditional carol edition
day 7 – seven swans a swimming puff pastry stuffed with mushroom, sage, and cheese filling
As long as I can remember, I have loved swans! I don’t know if it is their graceful neck, or how pretty they all look swimming in a row. I always enjoyed watching them when I was a little girl. For this reason, day seven has always been my favorite day of the twelve days of Christmas. I immediately thought of puff pastry when I was brainstorming about the twelve days of Christmas treats. Specifically, the little puff pastry squares which would even be more delectable with a scrumptious mushroom sage filling. With this in mind, all that was left was to figure out those graceful swan necks…
how do you feel about crafts?
It is important for you to realize that I am craft challenged. Maddie frequently teases me about this genetic flaw. Somehow, I am stuck between two gifted artists – my mother and my daughter! They both have an unquenchable thirst for creating exquisite things. Therefore, I have been accompanying both of them to the arts and crafts stores for as long as I can remember.
here comes the puff pastry swans…
I decided to make the swan necks out of puff pastry. All I would have to do is cut a curvy “s” out of the puff pastry sheet, and bake it until it was puffy. (how hard can that be when your name begins with the letter s?) I erred on the side of making more than I would need just in case.
what is your favorite mushroom?
Equally important to those graceful puff pastry swan necks is the scrumptious mushroom and sage filling. I love the combination of mushroom and sage! Especially when there is a combination of different fabulous mushrooms. Schiitake and baby bellas are my favorite combination. And what filling would be complete without a little melty cheese to push things over the top? Gruyere is the most delectable choice, because it has a melty flavor that combines so beautifully with mushrooms and sage. Add a little lemon and horseradish, and you will have those little swans swim right off your appetizer platter! All of the holiday boxes are checked, including crunchy, savory, melty, and scrumptious!
seven swans a swimming puff pastry stuffed with mushroom, sage, and cheese filling
Everyone’s favorite holiday appetizer – puff pastry – morphed into a puffy swan stuffed with mushrooms, and sage
- Prep Time: 30 minutes + baking time
- Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Category: appetizer
- Method: mix and bake
Ingredients
1 package puff pastry sheets
1 package puff pastry squares with tops
Mushroom and sage filling:
2–3 TB butter
16 fresh sage leaves
1 1/2 cups shiitake mushrooms
1 1/2 cups baby bella mushrooms
8 sprigs of fresh thyme
3–4 oz gruyere cheese, grated
2 TB whipping cream
1 1/2 TB horseradish
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 lemon juice
White pepper to taste
Instructions
Thaw puff pastry according to package directions
Roll out 1 puff pastry sheet
Cut out “s” shapes in the pastry (I like to cut out extra in case)
Place “s” shapes on baking sheet
Place puff pastry squares on another baking sheet
Bake according to package directions
Mushroom and sage filling:
Melt butter in a medium-sized saute pan
Add mushrooms, sage, and thyme
Saute until mushrooms are golden brown and fragrant
Place mushrooms and remaining filling ingredients in the bowl of a food processor
Pulse until well combined
Remove the top of the square puff pastry and set aside
Fill the square with the mushroom and sage filling
Cut a small “X” in the center of one of the top edges of the square puff pastries
Carefully “wiggle” the base of one of the puff pastry “s” shapes into the cut “X”
Place back on a baking sheet and bake in a 350-degree oven until cheese has melted
Remove from oven and carefully place the filled swan pastry on your appetizer tray
Keywords: puff pastry, mushroom, sage, cheese
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