Mushroom Beef Bundles

For those of you in Ontario, I do hope that you try and pick up the LCBO Food & Drink magazine when it comes out. When I first moved to BC I missed it dearly, until my mom got me a subscription. I had no idea, but at the time, if you lived outside of Ontario, you could get the Food & Drink delivered to your door! And what a fantastic magazine - great articles, fantastic recipes, and lots of entertaining tips and ideas. I just checked, and now they have opened up the subscriptions to anyone in Canada or even Internationally - click here for more info. They also have a lot of their recipes available online at http://www.lcbo.com/fooddrink/.

A few years ago Brent made a recipe from the Autumn 2009 edition, and it turned out great. So when we were having some friends over for a simple Saturday night dinner and games night, I decided to try my hand at the recipe. They were fantastic and this is a recipe you could really play around with. Next time I might do a chicken pot pie variation.

Make Ahead - Lamb Sausage Rolls

Here is another great make ahead recipe. Really anything with Puff Pastry is bound to be awesome. I've made my own, recipe found here and while it was super easy, I agree with a lot of cooks/chefs in that the store bought stuff is pretty damn good too! I usually use Tenderflake, but apparently Presidents Choice has one that is already rolled out into a 10 inch square. Maybe next time I'll try that!

Lamb Sausage Rolls (adapted from Canadian Living)

- 2 eggs

- 1/4 cup bread crumbs

- 1/4 cup minced onion

- 1 clove garlic, minced

- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

- 2 tsp crushed fennel seeds

- 1 tsp grated orange rind

- 1/2 tsp each salt and ground coriander

- 1/4 tsp pepper

- 1 lb ground lamb (or lean ground beef)

- 1 pkg puff pastry, thawed

- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard

- 1 egg yolk

In large bowl mix eggs, bread crumbs, onion, garlic, parsley, fennel seeds, orange rind, salt, coriander and pepper. Mix in lamb and set aside.

Divide pastry in half and roll out each half into 10-inch square. Cut each into 3 equal strips. Brush each with mustard. Evenly spoon filling along centre of each strip (I think the butcher gave me more than 1 lb of lamb, it seemed like I had a lot of filling!).

Fold pastry over filling; pressing edge to seal.

Arrange rolls, seam side down, on pan lined with parchment paper. Cover and chill until firm, about 30 minutes. On board, cut each roll into 10 pieces; return to pan. At this point you can layer between waxed paper in airtight container and freeze for up to 2 weeks.

In small bowl whisk egg yolk with 1 tbsp water; brush over rolls. Bake in 450F oven until puffed and golden, about 20 minutes, 25 minutes if frozen.

Strawberry Rhubarb Turnovers

We were heading to a friends place for dinner and I said I'd bring a simple dessert. With so many strawberries, and some rhubarb left over, I decided to make some turnovers. These were great out of the oven, in the morning for breakfast, and of course after a great dinner with friends.

Strawberry Rhubarb Turnovers

- 1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed

- 1 egg, lightly beaten

- 2 cups diced strawberries

- 1 3/4 cups diced rhubarb

- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

- 1/2 cup sugar

- 1/4 cup cornstarch

Mix the strawberries, rhubarb, vinegar, sugar and cornstarch together in a bowl.

Roll out each square of puff pastry to a 12x12 inch square. Cut each piece into 4 (for 8 total). Brush edges with egg. Using a slotted spoon (to avoid excess liquid) spoon mixture onto half of each square. Fold over to create triangle, crimping edges with a fork. Make three slits on top with sharp knife. Brush with egg and sprinkle with sugar (coarse sugar if you have it).

Arrange on parchment lined baking sheet and bake in 400 degree oven until golden and puffy (about 15 - 20 minutes).

Quick Puff Pastry

Puff pastry is one of the most versatile ingredients to have on hand when cooking and baking. It is a great way to impress guests, and you can really do a lot of different things with puff pastry. I've always purchased the Tenderflake variety, which works really well. However, I wanted to know how hard it was to make my own. Let me tell you, it is actually one of the easiest things to make, using ingredients you probably have on hand. This recipe is from Canadian Living, and again, they don't disappoint.

Quick Puff Pastry
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup cold water




Cut butter into 1/2 inch cubes; set aside 3/4 cup in the refrigerator. In food processor, pulse flour with salt. Sprinkle remaining butter over top; pulse until indistinguishable, about 10 seconds. Sprinkle with reserved butter; pulse 4 - 5 times until pea-size pieces. Pour water evenly over mixture (not through tube). Pulse 6 to 8 times until mixture is loose and ragged, do not let form ball.

Transfer to floured waxed paper; gather and press into rectangle. Dust with flour; top with waxed paper and roll out into 15 x 12 inch rectangle. When you first transfer it to the floured waxed paper, fear not, although it looks like it won't come together, it definitely will!


Remove top paper. Starting at long edge and using bottom paper to lift pastry, fold over one-third. Fold opposite long edge over top, bringing flush with edge of first fold to make 15 x 4 inch rectangle. Starting from 1 short end, roll up firmly; flatten into 5 inch square. Cut in half; wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.

This can also be refrigerated for 5 days or frozen in airtight container for up to 2 weeks. You'll never want to buy store bought puff pastry again!

I rolled this out and used it for my Chicken and Brie Turnovers and the result was amazing!

Don’t be afraid of puff pastry

Frozen puff pastry can be a host’s best friend. It is quick, easy, always good to have on hand and most of the appetizers or desserts can be made, frozen and cooked straight from the freezer. Frozen puff pastry was something that I used to be afraid of. This is partially because the first time I used it, I didn’t really understand the instructions from the recipe I was using and tried to unfold the pastry. Well let me tell you, it’s not supposed to unfold, you actually roll it out. That made it a lot easier. So, here’s a great recipe to introduce you to puff pastry.


Chicken & Brie Turnovers

These little bites are a fantastic appetizer to have on hand for entertaining. They are relatively easy to make and freeze really well for up to a month. Believe me, they won’t last that long!

The basic recipe can easily be modified to suit your likes.

What You Need:
1 pkg frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten

Filling:
11/4 cups diced cooked chicken or turkey
¾ cup diced Brie or Camembert
1 or 2 green onions, finely diced
2 spoonfuls of mayo
Minced garlic
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup chopped dried cranberries or other fruit

Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper. In bowl, combine all of the filling ingredients and stir gently.Now for the pastry. Each package of puff pastry has two squares. Separate and roll each out to a 10-inch square. Cut each portion into 16 squares.

Brush some of the beaten egg onto the edges of the squares. Spoon a healthy teaspoon of filling into the center of each square. Fold as you’d like, crimp edges, place on baking sheet and brush with egg.

Freeze on pans and transfer to waxed lined container and freeze between waxed paper for up to one month. Bake from frozen for approximately 25 minutes in 350F oven on top and bottom thirds of oven, switching halfway through, until golden and puffed.


Try to let them cool for a minute or two before you dig in!

Extra: What is that thing that I’m rolling my pastry out on? It’s a pastry mat, and one of the best $10 I spent. It has built in rulers, and circular patterns to help with crusts etc. Also, it makes cleaning up way easier after baking. Worth investing in!!!