Braided Puff Pastry Strudel With Caramelized Mushrooms And Spinach Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Mix spinach, Parmesan cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, shallots, 1 egg, garlic, salt, black pepper, and nutmeg together in a bowl until filling is well-mixed.
• Roll puff pastry onto a clean work surface, a little thinner at the edges. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
• Spoon the filling down the middle length of the pastry sheet. Crack 1 egg into a cup but do not beat it. Brush the edges of the puff pastry with egg white and close the pastry around the filling. Close the ends of the roll and carefully turn it over so the seam is on the bottom.
• Beat what remains of the egg; brush over the top of puff pastry and cut a few slits in the pastry.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the strudel is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Steps:

• Defrost the puff pastry overnight and keep cold in the refrigerator.
• In a heavy skillet "dry sauté" the mushrooms (no oil, high heat), until you hear a popping sound in the pan. Lower the heat to medium and add the butter. Stir in the shallots and cook for about three minutes. Add the garlic and the thyme, season with the salt and pepper, and cook for a few more minutes, or, until the shallots are tender and caramelized.
• Chop the spinach and fold it into the above vegetable mixture. Cook briefly until it is wilted and reduced in volume. Empty the contents of the skillet into a medium bowl and set aside.
• Remove the casing from the sausages, crumble them, and place the loose sausage meat in the same skillet used for the vegetables (no need to add oil to the skillet, as the sausage will render some amount of fat while cooking). Cook the meat over medium heat until it is lightly browned and cooked through, stirring often. Add the fresh sage and cook for another minute.
• Remove from the heat and add the vegetable mixture back into the skillet. Fold half of the cheese in and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 400° F.
• Lay out the first defrosted puff pastry sheet on a piece of parchment paper, lightly dusted with flour. Return the second roll of puff pastry to the refrigerator to keep cold. Unfold the puff pastry and, with a rolling pin dusted with flour, gently even it out to a ¼" thickness. You should have a square about 11" x 11". Trim off the top corners and then cut notches in the bottom (this will make the braid look neat). Carefully lift the parchment paper and place it on a baking sheet. Cut 1"-thick strips diagonally down both sides of the pastry leaving the center uncut. There should be an equal number of strips on both sides.
• Add half of the filling down the center of the puff pastry and sprinkle the half of the remaining shredded cheese on top of the filling. Fold the top and bottom flaps over the filling. Form the braid by crossing the strips diagonally over the filling, alternating from side to side as you go. When you get to the end, trim off any extra strips and tuck under any overhanging dough.
• Place the strudel in the refrigerator to keep the puff pastry cold. Repeat each of the above steps with the second piece of puff pastry and the remaining filling and cheese. Remove the baking sheet with the first strudel from the refrigerator. Place the second braid on the baking sheet, 2" apart from the first.
• Lightly brush the top only (not the sides) of the strudels with some egg wash. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown and crispy, about 25 minutes. With a large spatula, remove the strudels to a rack and let them cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a skillet. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and sauté for 3-4 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent. Preheat oven to 400.
• Add the mushrooms, spinach and nutmeg. Cook for 2-3 more minutes.
• Stir in the heavy cream, mixing well.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove from the heat.
• Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured counter and cut in to 4 6-inch rounds.
• Spoon ¼ of the filling onto one half of each round and fold the pastry over to encase the filling. Press down to seal the edges of the pastry and brush with the beaten egg. Sprinkle with the poppy seeds. (Freeze at this point if you are doing OAMC.).
• Place the packets on a dampened cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes until cooked through and the pastry has risen and is golden brown.
• Serve warm.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallot; cook and stir until tender, about 5 minutes. Lower heat to medium-low and add mushrooms. Cook and stir until mushrooms reduce by half, about 15 minutes. Stir in roasted garlic, Parmesan cheese, and thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in cream. Remove from heat and allow mushroom mixture to cool. It will thicken as it cools.
• Unfold pastry sheet onto floured surface and lightly roll into a 12 x 15 inch square. Cut into eighteen 3 inch squares. Place a mounded teaspoon of mushroom filling in the center of each square. Fold pastry over filling to form a triangle. Pinch edges firmly together with a fork to seal.
• Bake 12 to 16 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve hot or at room temperature.