Caramelized Onion, Mushroom, & Gruyere Puff Pastry Bites

A couple years ago, I ordered a mushroom-stuffed puff pastry at a French restaurant as an appetizer and I remember loving it. But then again, I love anything with mushrooms. Since then, I had been wanting to experiment with puff pastry sheets. It’s not something I’ve ever used before. The result of my experimentation were these delicious little bites! These bites work well as an appetizer because they are easy to pick up and munch on as finger food. The puff pastry is soft and flakey. The mushroom mix is light and flavorful and the cheese is goey. If you are a mushroom lover like me, you need to try this recipe. It’s easy to make and it’s so good. Next time, I might try making a puff pastry turnover since that might be a litte heartier.

CARAMELIZED ONION, MUSHROOM, & GRUYERE PUFF PASTRY BITES (makes 18 small rounds)

Ingredients:

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground black pepper

½ tsp thyme

1 clove of garlic, diced

1 tbsp butter

¼ cup of white wine

1 tbsp olive oil

1 egg, whisked (for the egg wash)

2 puff pastry sheets

1 small sweet yellow onion, diced

8 oz cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced

3.5 oz shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

5-6 slices of gruyere cheese or shredded gruyere/swiss cheese blend

chopped parsley for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Meanwhile, cut puff pastry into little rounds using a cutter. I didn’t have one available so I just used a small sauce bowl that is 2¾ inches in diameter and cut around that. If you prefer, you can cut your puff pastry sheets into squares, which would be even quicker. Set aside.

Add 1 tbsp olive oil into a medium frying pan. Saute diced onions over medium heat until caramelized. Add 1 tbsp butter and let melt. Toss in garlic and mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and thyme. Cook until the mushrooms have shrunken. Pour in wine and let reduce.

On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, arrange puff pastry rounds. Brush with egg wash. Add a spoonful of the sauteed mushroom and onions onto each round, leaving space around the edges. Bake for about 14 minutes in the oven at 400 degrees.

Pull out baking sheet tray from the oven. Add small slices of gruyere cheese on top of each round. Return to oven and bake for about 4-5 more minutes.

Garnish with chopped parsley. And that’s it! Easy peasy and delish!

New Year, New Challenges, More Recipes

In my last post, I wrote about how in February, I challenged myself to work every single day of the month, including weekends, sticking to a strict schedule. I stuck to the promise I made to myself and survived February! How do I feel? I feel pretty damn proud of myself! I tackled some pretty tough recipes and it was a lot of work! I have no idea how my mom was able to make some of these complex dishes as a single, working mother of 3 young girls. I also don’t know how she remembers the ingredients in all of these dishes. It’s so easy to confuse similar recipes. Good thing I’m documenting everything and creating a cookbook! I hope my sisters and my cousins appreciate all of this!

Even though February has ended, I’m still committed to working everyday. I mean, I need to. I want to. And I don’t really have a stable income. I need to keep it moving. After a month of working long hours every single day and all weekend, my body was starting to feel low on fuel. I felt so drained and tired. This month, I have tried to loosen the grip a little bit and have taken more breaks to rest. It’s hard to feel inspired and productive if you’re exhausted and overworked. I have to allow myself time to re-energize.

There are a few different things I’m trying to jump start at the moment. After 12+ years in the corporate world of the fashion industry, I want something different. I want flexibility. I have different passions and want to be able to do it all. In my experience with a corporate job that is unrelated to my other passions, it is difficult to find time to do anything else. I want to see if there’s a way I can pursue consulting on a part-time basis, which means I need to look for a client and reach out to recruiters, hiring managers, and others in my network. I also want to finish this cookbook and try to get it published. This means I need a publisher and I need to send out query letters to literary agents. Plus, I don’t know anything about publishing. I definitely have a lot of research I need to do. If all that fails, then I will need to look into self publishing. I also enjoy food styling, food photography, and sharing my journey of creating this cookbook on my Instagram. I completed my first collaboration for a brand recently (photos shown above). Food styling is so much fun! I have been getting invited to media night events as a blogger also. I’d love to connect with other brands for partnerships. This means contacting brands, creating a media kit, and sending out pitch emails.

To sum it all up, I’m searching for a new client for consulting, a literary agent, and a brand partnership while I’m cooking and writing for my cookbook. On top of all that, I’m also looking for a life partner. It’s a lot, huh?! But I think I can do it all! Hoping to at least finish all of the cooking by the end of this month. I’ve been attending various types of networking events to brainstorm with others and that has been helpful. Lets go March!

If you have any advice, suggestions, or encouraging words on the above, please send them my way!

P.S. I’ve gotten sick of eating so much of my own food. I need new non-Asian recipes. Help! Something fun and easy.