Part 2! It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year....Recipes

If you missed yesterday's post click here!  Today I am able to share another recipe from Kim Hendrickson!  Today's recipe comes from her Savory Bites cookbook!  I hope you enjoy it!!

Wild Mushroom Rugelach

By Kim Hendrickson,
Author of Savory Bites: Easy, Sophisticated Hors d'Oeuvres for Every Occasion

For years I've been making classic sweet rugelach for winter holidays. When my friend Alan gave me a large supply of wild mushrooms, I was thinking about unusual ways I could use this delicious gift. Then it hit me! A savory rugelach. The tart, flaky dough pairs well with non-dessert ingredients. Use your favorite type of mushroom or mix several varieties together. You'll be wild about them, too.

Yield: 24 to 30 rugelach
⅔ cup flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 egg yolk
1½ teaspoons sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
½ cup finely chopped shallots
1½ cups mushrooms, finely chopped
⅔ cup sweet Italian sausage
1 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary or ½ teaspoon dried

Whisk flour, salt, and baking powder together in a medium bowl. In another bowl, using a hand mixer, beat cream cheese and softened butter until light, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolk, sour cream, and vanilla and beat at medium speed until smooth. At low speed, add dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Divide dough into 2 pieces and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours or up to overnight.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium heat, and sauté shallots until translucent and tender, about 2 minutes. Remove half and set aside. Add mushrooms, sausage, and rosemary. Cook until sausage is cooked through and moisture from the mushrooms has evaporated, about 3 to 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Roll half of the cold pastry dough out onto a floured surface 1/8 inch thick to create a 6 × 14-inch rectangle. Sprinkle half of the mushroom/sausage filling over the surface and roll up the long end, jelly-roll style, to create a 14-inch roll. If dough has become too soft, refrigerate it until it holds its shape. Cut roll into fourteen 1-inch pieces. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Place rugelach seam side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet 2 inches apart. Sprinkle reserved shallots on top. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown.

Modify
Omit mushrooms; spread garlic butter lightly over the dough and sprinkle with assorted fresh herbs, shallots, and sunflower seeds as a tasty meatless variation.

Magnify
Double ingredients. Roll the dough out ¼ inch thick and cut into 4-inch circles. Spoon filling onto one side of each pastry disc, fold over, and press edges down with a fork to make mushroom/sausage pastries. Serve 2 per person for lunch or as a meal starter. Serves 4.

The above is an excerpt from the book Savory Bites: Easy, Sophisticated Hors d'Oeuvres for Every Occasion by Kim Hendrickson. The above excerpt is a digitally scanned reproduction of text from print. Although this excerpt has been proofread, occasional errors may appear due to the scanning process. Please refer to the finished book for accuracy.
Copyright © 2010 Kim Hendrickson, author of Savory Bites: Easy, Sophisticated Hors d'Oeuvres for Every Occasion

Author Bio

Kim Hendrickson, is the author of the Tastefully Small™cookbook series, and the winner of two Florida Publishers Association gold medals. She has catered for the New York Metropolitan Opera, and the Penguin Rep Theatre, the Bizarre Food show and Slangman's World. She is a regular presenter at the World Tea Expo, the John C. Campbell Folk School, and at culinary events throughout the New York are. Kim teaches that good food is more than good taste; it's the fun and joy of creating something beautiful and sharing it with others.
For more information please visit www.salviapress.com.