(upbeat music)
- Hey guys, there is nothing better than a hot hor d'oeuvre
straight from the oven,
especially when holiday entertaining.
But getting the quantities and the timing right
of these little morsels can take some doing.
But not to worry, today I'm gonna show you three varieties
of fancy hor d'oeuvres that you can make
from store-bought puff pastry.
They're elegant, they're delicious,
and the best part is you can make them all
a week ahead of time.
Let me show you how to put it together.
So, first up, I'm gonna show you how to make
a brie and fig jam braid.
I love this hor d'oeuvres idea because you can really
just set it and forget it.
It also looks so beautiful and impressive,
and guests can just walk in and serve themselves.
So, if you're having a party of eight to 12 people,
I would actually make two of these braids,
because they really are the first things to go,
they're that good.
So, you're gonna take a cookie sheet that's flat,
meaning it doesn't have a rim,
because it'll be easier to get off that way,
and then we're gonna put down some parchment paper.
On top of that, you're gonna put
your store-bought puff pastry,
and in the center panel you're going to spread
two tablespoons of fig jam.
And on top of that, you're going to add anywhere
from three to four slices of brie cheese.
And then for the sides,
this is where the decorative part comes in,
we are going to slice little strips,
about a half an inch thick,
all the way down each side panel.
So, do one first, count how many you have
and make sure you do the same exact amount
on the other side.
You'll see why in a minute,
and then you're gonna take the strips and alternating,
bring them into the middle to cover that brie and fig jam
and you'll start to see a beautiful braid will emerge.
Now, if you were making this ahead,
what I would do at this point is wrap up your braid
with your parchment paper, cover with foil,
and pop in the freezer.
Then, moments before it comes time to bake,
you're going to take an egg that's been beaten well
to create a little egg wash,
and with a pastry brush, you are going to brush your braid
just all along the side of it,
and this will give our puff pastry a really nice shine.
And then, we're gonna pop in the oven at 400 degrees
for anywhere from 25 to 30 minutes,
just until that puff pastry is nice and golden brown
and puffed up.
And then once it's done,
you're going to slide it off onto a cutting board.
This is what makes this really is you wanna make sure
that guests have a way to cut into this
and serve themselves.
And then, I also like to top with some chopped walnuts,
and then place a decorative knife on the board as well.
And when you cut into it,
you will see why this is the first one to go at any party.
It is so cheesy and delicious,
and you've got that sweetness of the jam underneath
and the crunch of the walnut.
It's a great flavor combination for holiday entertaining
and it looks so impressive too,
when it really took hardly any time to put together.
Next up, something a little bit heartier,
we're going to go to the Italian sausage pinwheels.
This is a great hor d'oeuvres that I like to serve
once everybody has arrived,
and I usually count on anywhere from
two to three pieces per person.
You'll get about 20 pieces per log,
so that way you can factor how many you'll need
based on how many guests you're having.
So, all you're gonna do is roll out your puff pastry,
and then on the short side you're gonna take your egg wash
and give it a brush, just about an inch or so.
This will help seal or roll once we roll it all up.
And then on top of that, we're gonna sprinkle
about 2/3 cup of a Italian-blend cheese,
and then on top of the cheese you're gonna add
3/4 teaspoon of Italian seasoning,
and then on top of that you're going to add
two hot Italian sausages that have been cooked and crumbled,
and then you're just gonna roll up this log,
making sure that you roll it tightly so all of the filling
does not pour out.
And at this stage, if you were doing it ahead of time,
you would just cover it with parchment paper,
and then a layer of aluminum foil and pop in your freezer,
and then the day of your party I would take it out
of the freezer and put it in your fridge to thaw out.
And then, when it comes time to bake,
you're going to slice your roll into about half-inch slices,
and you'll see you'll have little pinwheels,
and you'll wanna space them out
on a parchment-lined cookie sheet,
and you're gonna pop these into the oven at 400 degrees
for anywhere from 12 to 15 minutes.
And then, you can place these on a serving platter
and pass them around the room.
And you will see, these will also disappear in a flash.
The combination of the gooey cheese
and the Italian seasoning
mixed with that spicy Italian sausage
makes this such a delicious hor d'oeuvres.
You will not be disappointed, I promise.
And then finally, I present you with the mushroom tartlets.
I love this hor d'oeuvres as well because there's something
so hearty about a mushroom appetizer,
mixed with puff pastry and cheese, you cannot go wrong.
So, you're gonna take out
that store-bought puff pastry again,
and the nice thing is it does come scored into three panels.
So, you're gonna cut those three panels
just right down the seam,
and then you're gonna take one of those panels
and you're gonna cut it in half,
and then cut the halves in half.
And what that will do is create
four equal-sized little rectangles.
Then, you're gonna take those rectangles,
put them in a mini muffin tin.
Now, for these hor d'oeuvres,
because they're the last one at the party,
I typically will just make 12.
Also mushrooms, people either love them or hate them,
so usually make the least amount of this kind.
For those who love mushrooms, this is a winner.
I'm one of those people that love mushrooms,
so I love this hor d'oeuvres.
So, you're gonna go ahead and just fit this pastry
into your little mini muffin tin,
and then you are going to fill each muffin tin
with my special holiday mushroom blend.
Now, it's a really simple recipe,
I'll leave it for you in the description,
but it's essentially just mushrooms, shallots, thyme,
and a little bit of Worcestershire sauce.
And we're gonna fill one teaspoon
of the mushroom blend into each cup,
and top with a little sprinkle of Italian cheese.
That's all you have to do.
Now, if you were making these ahead of time,
you could just wrap this whole thing in foil
and pop it in your freezer until you're ready to serve.
And then when it comes time to bake,
you're gonna put these in a 400 degree Fahrenheit oven
for about 15 minutes,
just until that pastry is nice and golden brown
and the cheese is bubbly.
Then, you can take them out and allow them to cool slightly,
transfer them to a serving platter,
and then garnish each one with a little sprig
of fresh thyme.
And there you have it, another fancy elegant hor d'oeuvres
that is also as delicious as it is pretty.
So, there you have it, three fancy hor d'oeuvres
that you can make with store-bought puff pastry.
I hope you guys give this one a try,
and let me know what you think,
and I will see you back here next week
for another holiday helper.
Until then, bye.