Salmon Pastry Hors d’Oeuvres

This is the perfect recipe for any upcoming New Year’s Eve parties. It is always a hit at any party I’ve ever been to. To make this delicious hors d’oeuvre, smoked salmon is wrapped in a cream cheese pastry.

Directions:

Yield: 32 hors d’oeuvres

1. Mix the cream cheese, butter, flour and salt together in a bowl. You can make the dough either by mixing in a food processor or mixing by hand with a pastry cutter.
2. If working by hand, stop using the pastry cutter and actually use your hands to better form the mixture into a dough. Watch the video below for instructions.
3. Shape the dough into a log and cut in half. Form each half into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to chill.
4. After the balls have chilled, roll out each ball into a 9″ circle.
5. Place a layer of thinly sliced smoked salmon on top of the rolled dough. This can take anywhere from 1/2 lb of salmon to a full pound to cover the two pastry circles. It depends on how thinly your salmon is sliced and how much you place on each one.
6. Sprinkle the lemon juice and pepper over the salmon.
7. Cut each circle into sixteen even pieces as if you are cutting a pizza. You can use a pizza wheel if you like, or a sharp French knife.
8. Starting on the wide edge, tightly roll up the pastries as if you were making croissants. Place them on a parchment lined cooking sheet with the tip on the bottom. This will prevent the hors d’oeuvres from unrolling as they cook.
9. Brush the pastries with an egg wash (1 egg yolk whisked together with 1 tbsp of water).
10. Pre-heat the oven to 400°F. Bake the salmon pastries for about ten minutes. The salmon is already smoked so we don’t need to cook the salmon. We are basically just browning the pastry.

The pastries are ready to serve right out of the oven, but you may want to make them ahead of time for a party or event. These can be made up to three days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Bake them in the oven for about three minutes to heat and crisp prior to serving.