Smoked Salmon Vol Au Vents

Whipped Cream Cheese, Dijon Mustard and Smoked Salmon carefully nested into a puff pastry cases create a decadent and mouthwatering French appetizer, perfect to ring in the New Year. 

Ingredients:

– 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry – 6 tablespoons whipped cream cheese – 1 ½ teaspoons whole grain mustard – 1 tablespoons chives finely minced – 5 square slices of smoked salmon cut diagonally – 1 egg

Remove the puff pastry from a wrap and lightly roll it out ¼ inch thick. Using a 3 ½ inch cookie cutter, cut out 18 circles. Depending on the size of your dough, you might end up having 20 circles.

Using a smaller 1 ½ inch cookie cutter, gently mark half of the pastry circles making sure not to cut all the way through.

Brush the unmarked pastry circles with a beaten egg. Place the marked circles on top of unmarked circles.

Brush again with an egg.

Place your 3 ½ inch cookie cutter between unbaked cookies and place a wire rack on top of the cookie cutter. That way the cookies will be of the same height. Bake in a preheated to 400 F oven for 20 - 23 minutes until Vol Au Vents have risen and golden.

Using a tip of a sharp knife, gently cut out caps from the pastry and dig out a little bit of pastry to make some room for the filling.

In a small bowl combine whipped cream cheese, whole grain mustard and minced chives. Fill the pastry bag attached with Wilton tip #1M with a filling and fill the pastry cases with a mixture.

Roll each piece of salmon into a rose and place in the middle of cream cheese filling. Garnish with some chives and enjoy!

More appetizer recipes: 

Bruschetta With Pesto And Sun-Dried Tomatos