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Finger Food Recipes: Wild Mushroom and Goat Cheese Puff Pastry Pockets

finger food recipes

I love finger food recipes for entertaining. I also love goat cheese recipes.

This wonderful gourmet appetizer recipe fills the bill on both counts.

Light puff pastry pockets filled with a luscious mixture of mushrooms, goat cheese and fresh herbs.

Can you just imagine the smells coming out of your kitchen as you bake these? This is finger food recipes at their best!

This amazing recipe comes from one of my favorite fall cookbooks New Thanksgiving Table: An American Celebration of Family, Friends, and Food by Diane Morgan.

It is a stunningly beautiful book, full of gorgeously photographed images of the book’s finger food recipes, main course recipes and side dishes.

Here is what Diane says about her wild mushroom and goat cheese appetizers recipe:

“In the fall, as the rains come, the ground dampens, and the leaves fall, the farmers’ markets start brimming with wild mushrooms. I bring home a bagful, clean and chop them, and then sauté them in butter or olive oil. I first made this filling for omelets and decided it would be ideal for hors d’oeuvres. These puff pastry pockets are simple to make and freeze beautifully. Have them ready to pop in the oven throughout the holiday season.”

You can find our full review of Diane’s cookbook here. I think it is a must have staple, not just for the holidays, but with great any time recipes you will treasure for years.

finger food recipes

Wild Mushroom and Goat Cheese Puff Pastry Pockets

I love finger food recipes for entertaining. This is a wonderful gourmet appetizer recipe. Light puff pastry pockets filled with a luscious mixture of mushrooms, goat cheese and fresh herbs.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 16 minutes
Total Time 46 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Servings 12 Servings
Calories 287 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 2 sheets puff pastry dough, frozen, from a 17.3-ounce package
  • 1 pound mushrooms, assorted wild and cultivated such as cremini, shiitake, and chanterelle, wiped or brushed clean, stem ends trimmed
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, extra-virgin
  • 2 shallots, finely minced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher, or sea salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, minced fresh
  • 1 tablespoon fresh dill, minced
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
  • 1/4 cup goat cheese, 2 ounces fresh , at room temperature
  • All-purpose flour for dusting
  • 1 egg, large, beaten with 2 teaspoons water

Instructions
 

  • Remove the pastry sheets from the package and let thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes.
  • To make the mushroom filling, chop the mushrooms finely and set aside. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the shallots and sauté for about 2 minutes until just beginning to soften. Add the mushrooms and sauté, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes until they just begin to soften.
  • Add the salt and a few grinds of pepper and continue to sauté for about 5 minutes longer until the mushrooms give off their juices. Add the parsley, dill, thyme, and goat cheese to the pan. Sauté, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes longer until most of the liquid has evaporated and the goat cheese is blended in. Remove from the heat. Set aside and let cool.
  • Position one rack in the center and a second rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 425°F.
  • Have ready 2 rimmed baking sheets, preferably nonstick. For pans without a nonstick finish, line the pans with parchment paper or use Silpat mats.
  • Unfold 1 of the pastry sheets and place it on a lightly floured cutting board. If there are any cracks in the pastry, gently pinch them closed. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll over the pastry gently, just enough to remove the fold marks, and then roll it out into a 10-by-15-inch rectangle. Using a sharp knife or pizza wheel, cut the pastry sheet lengthwise into four 2 1/2-by-15-inch strips. Cut each strip crosswise into 6 equal pieces to form a total of twenty-four 2 1/2-inch squares. Repeat with the second sheet of pastry.
  • Brush each square with the egg wash on the side facing up. Put a rounded teaspoon of filling in the center of each square. Gather the four corners and bring them up to the center, pinching the dough together firmly to secure it at the point, forming square pouches. Leave the seams along the edges open so some of the mushroom filling shows. Transfer the mushroom pockets to the baking sheets, placing them about 1 inch apart. Lightly dab the sides of the pockets with any remaining egg wash.
  • Bake for 10 minutes, switch the position of the baking sheets, and continue to bake for about 4 to 6 minutes longer until the pockets are puffed, golden brown on the sides and bottom, and crisp. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool slightly.
  • Serve these delicious goat cheese and mushroom appetizers warm or at room temperature.
  • Makes 48 pockets

Nutrition

Calories: 287kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 6gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 423mgPotassium: 172mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 151IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 19mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Do Ahead

  • The mushroom filling can be cooled, covered, and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Remove the filling from the refrigerator 1 hour before filling the pastry pockets to soften it slightly. The mushroom pockets can be made and assembled completely and frozen, unbaked. Freeze the unbaked pastries on rimmed baking sheets, and then transfer them to a freezer container, arranging the pockets in layers between sheets of waxed paper. The pastries can be frozen for up to 1 month. Bake the pockets without thawing first; the baking times will be longer, about 20 to 25 minutes, so follow the recipe’s doneness cues.

This wonderful little appetizer recipe is not only delicious, it is fairly healthy for us. Mushrooms, especially when you use a selection of mushrooms as you do in this recipe, are very healthy for us. We tend to think of the mushroom as not containing much nutritional value, but the truth is that those little gems are very good for us. It’s always good to find another way to incorporate them into our healthy eating plans.

Each of the fresh herbs in this recipe also add health giving properties to the recipe.

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You will find many more finger food recipes in our appetizer recipes section. Browse here.

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finger food recipes



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