Thanksgiving is getting reallllyyyy close guys. I gotta say, it’s a tad stressful. There’s just so much to do! You have to figure out what you’re making, shop for it all, figure out a schedule, and sort things out with your relatives. Plus, the Holiday season is looming overhead, and Nutcracker is like a big scary monster coming out of the ocean ready to stomp on the city. Ok maybe that last one was a little bit extreme, but you see what I mean.
ON THE OTHER HAND. This time of year can be really fun. If you couldn’t tell, I love to cook, so Thanksgiving is a great time to really test my creativity and skills. Plus I get school off, the weather is gorgeous, I get to wear my cutest fall fits, and watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.
So on the topic of Thanksgiving, I personally think these pastries would make a good appetizer… even for Christmas. This is one of my first savory recipes on my site! I posted one over the summer, but many people have told me they wouldn’t classify it as “savory”. So some may consider this to be my first.
The Pastry
Now, I personally have beef with using store bought pre-made doughs. Of any kind, pizza, pie, and pastry. All the doughs. I just think homemade is better. But for this recipe I really wanted to keep things simple. It is Thanksgiving after all, and who has the time to make their puff pastry from scratch? So for todays recipe, I did use a store bought puff pastry dough. BUT. If you really want to challenge yourself and you have the time, I highly recommend making your own dough. I always use this recipe from Sallys Baking Addiction.
Describe These Pastries To Me
Taste: I really wanted to make a fall appetizer that wasn’t squash or apple centered. I truly love both of those flavors (especially squash! 😋), but they are used very frequently for Thanksgiving. So I turned to one of my favorite fall flavors. Sage and mushroom. The mushrooms are cooked in brown butter with garlic and sage, and then simmered in apple cider and balsamic vinegar. This gives them a little sweet acidity, which matches perfectly with the buttery pastry. To add some creaminess, there’s some goat cheese, and for a little touch of sweetness there’s a layer of fig spread. To top it all off, these are drizzled with a salty brown sage butter. YUM.
Texture: For this recipe I was more concerned with the taste, but the texture is always an important thing to consider. The pastry is flakey, the mushrooms are soft and tender, and the goat cheese adds a little creaminess. Perfection wrapped in puff pastry.
Ease: Like I said above, I skipped using homemade pastry dough for these. Although this hurts my soul a little bit, Thanksgiving is so busy and I wanted to make these simple. All you have to do is cook your mushrooms down, which should take you about 20 ish minutes. Then just cut up your dough, and layer on the fig spread, mushrooms and goat cheese. Cover that up with some more pastry, and freeze these for just 10 minutes. Then, bake ’em up, throw together a quick brown sage butter, and enjoy.
The Mushrooms
For this filling I wanted to take some mushrooms, and then add some other stuff to highlight them. This starts with browning some salted butter with chopped sage and garlic. Then throw in your mushrooms, I like to use sliced shiitakes here. Let that cook with some salt and pepper until most of the liquid is gone, and then add your balsamic vinegar and apple cider. The vinegar adds some acidity, and the cider adds a lil sweetness. Let that cook off and your done! Let the mushrooms cool for a little bit while you make the rest of the stuff.
Assembly
Start off by cutting two pastry sheets into twelve rectangles (that means six per sheet). Then, spread a little fig spread onto one of them, scoop on the mushrooms, and sprinkle over a little goat cheese. Brush the sides with some egg wash to help it stick, and top with another piece of pastry. Crimp the edges with a fork so it all stays put and throw it in the freezer. Make sure to freeze your pastries for just 10 minutes before baking so that the butter doesn’t all melt out. Take ’em out, cut some slits on the top, brush them with more of that egg wash, and bake.
The Brown Sage Butter
This might just be my favorite food trend in fall. I will drizzle some brown sage butter over EVERYTHING. It’s just so yummy. But it goes especially well with these pastries. The butter seeps into the slits on the top and infuses the mushrooms with even more fall flavors. And it adds a delicate little crunch with those crispy sage leaves resting on top . Ugh it’s just so yummy! And it’s not hard to make, just melt down your butter with some sage leaves until it starts bubbling and turning brown.
How are you guys feeling about Thanksgiving? I’m very excited, but also a little stressed. Still, it really is the best time of the year September through December. I went apple picking with my friends about a week ago, and have been burning fall candles in my room every night. I hope you guys are enjoying this time of year to! Fall is just so…magical.
Mushroom Pastries with Brown Sage Butter
Ingredients
Method
- In a large skillet set over medium heat, melt the butter until it begins to sizzle and foam. Add the sage and garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until garlic is fragrant and butter is beginning to brown. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until most of the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates, about 5 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and apple cider and cook on medium high for about 5-7 minutes or until most of the liquid evaporates and the mushrooms are saucy and tender (see photo in the above post for a visual) Remove from the heat and pour into a bowl to cool down for at least 10 minutes before using.
- Take your thawed pastry sheets and cut each of them into 3 strips along the folds. Then cut each of those strips in half horizontally, you should be left with 12 rectangles (6 per sheet.)
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg with 1 Tablespoon of water. This will be your egg wash.
- For help on shaping, watch the above video to see how I did it.
- On one of the rectangles, spread 1 teaspoon of fig spread. Add about 2 Tablespoons of the mushroom filling on top, and try and keep a rim around the edge of the pastry to connect the top piece. Crumble over a little goat cheese. Brush the edges of the pastry with the egg wash and place another rectangle of pastry on top. Pinch the sides with your finger, and then crimp with a fork.
- Repeat with the remaining pastry rectangles. You should have 6 pastries. Place them about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (you may have to use two baking sheets). Place the pastries in the freezer for just 10 minutes to firm up while the oven preheats. Don't throw away your egg wash, we will use it later!
- Preheat the oven to 400℉.
- Remove the pastries from the freezer. Using a sharp knife, cut two or three slits into the top of the pastry. Then brush the tops with the remaining egg wash and sprinkle with a little flakey sea salt. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and puffed. Remove from the oven to cool for 5-10 minutes as we prepare the brown sage butter.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the fresh sage. Once the butter has melted, it will begin to sizzle and foam, and you will begin to see brown specks forming. It should be an amber brown or caramel like color, and the sage should be nice and crispy. Remove from the heat immediately, as it can go from brown to burnt very quickly!
- Drizzle the butter over the pastries and top with the crispy sage leaves. Enjoy immediately!