Stuffed Mini Pastry Shell Canapés
Mini Phyllo Dough Shells make a unique and impressive way to assemble a canapé for an elegant brunch or holiday dinner.
Athens make mini phyllo pastry shells that are delicious to eat, visually arresting to serve and can be filled with an infinite variety of ingredients that serve as a beautiful canapé for before brunch or dinner. On some containers, Athens chooses to spell phyllo phonetically as "fillo.” I'm not sure why.
Here are two simple recipes, one of which was made for a brunch gathering; the other for a Thanksgiving holiday meal.
Phyllo dough is from the Middle East and the Balkans and spread throughout the Ottoman empire in the 16th and 17th Centuries, including Greece and Turkey. In fact the word "phyllo" is from the Greek word for "leaf" reflecting the dough's characteristic thin, layered structure.
Phyllo is different from puff pastry, though they are often confused. Puff pastry originated in Europe with roots to Ancient Rome. It is a richer dough than phyllo with a buttery texture and flaky layers. Phyllo is thinner, more delicate and crispier.
I cannot fathom making a mini cup from phyllo pastry dough. It would take hours I can't spare with skills I don't possess, so I am grateful for this frozen product, which stays frozen until ready to fill and put in the oven.
Cranberry Brie Bites: A Perfect Holiday Canapé
This recipe is more assembly instruction than it is culinary preparation, but it is unique, delicious and will surely make as big a hit with your guests, especially around holiday time. Be sure to use a premium quality Brie Cheese. Président Brie is the most popular brand from the Loire Valley in France, heavily imported and readily available in the US. As for cranberries, Ocean Spray virtually owns the US market for this fruit. There are two ways to go: Ocean Spray Fresh Cranberries - which you pop in a hot oven for ten minutes; or, Ocean Spray Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce. It’s in a distinct can that you actually open from the bottom. The upside-down design allows gravity to help pull the cranberry sauce out smoothly without having to fish out the berries, potentially damaging them.
Sausage & Cheese Brunch Bites: Makes Great Cocktail Party Fare, Too!
Preparation is slightly more involved with this mini pastry shell canapé, but they’ll be a hit as cocktail hors d’oeuvres or as a starter for Sunday Brunch along side Bloody Marys and Mimosas. Use a spicy sausage, like Jimmy Dean’s Hot Premium Pork Sausage and a couple of good, melty cheeses like Cheddar, Colby, Monterray Jack or Gruyère.
Cranberry Brie Bites
Ingredients
- 15 - 30 fillo pastry mini cups (like, Athens)
- 4 - 8 oz Brie Cheese (like, Président)
- 14 oz can whole berry cranberry sauce (like, Ocean Spray)
- fresh rosemary for garnish
- 15 - 30 fillo pastry mini cups (like, Athens)
- 4 - 8 oz Brie Cheese (like, Président)
- 1/2 lb fresh cranberries
- 2 tbsp table sugar
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- fresh rosemary for garnish
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350°F.
- You will use 4 ounces of Brie for 15 pastry cups. Remove the rind from the cheese and cut the Brie into 15 more or less 1/2-inch cubes.
- Leave the pastry cups in the freezer until this point. Carefully remove each cup onto a non-stick sheet pan or pizza dish.
- Place a cube of cheese into each pastry cup and then put the pan in the oven on the top rack for 8-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and the pastry is becoming golden.
- In the meantime, put the cranberry sauce contents into a microwavable dish and zap for a minute until the sauce is warmed through.
- When the pastry cups come out of the oven, spoon a whole cranberry with some sauce on top, Garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary. Serve the canapés while they are still warm.
- Pre-heat the oven to 425°F.
- Mix the berries in a mixing bowl with the sugar and balsamic vinegar until well coated.
- Place the berries on sheet pan or cookie sheet in a single layer, then put it in the top 1/3 of the oven for 5 minutes.
- Turn the berries over with a spatula and cook another 5 minutes.
- Turn the oven to 350°F.
- You will use 4 ounces of Brie for 15 pastry cups. Remove the rind from the cheese and cut the Brie into 15 more or less 1/2-inch cubes.
- Leave the pastry cups in the freezer until this point. Carefully remove each cup onto a non-stick sheet pan or pizza dish.
- Place a cube of cheese into each pastry cup and then put the pan in the oven on the top rack for 8-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and the pastry is becoming golden.
- Unless you're using two ovens and the berries are still warm, re-heat them in the microwave.
- When the pastry cups come out of the oven, spoon a whole cranberry with some sauce on top, Garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary. Serve the canapés while they are still warm.
Sausage & Cheese Brunch Bites
Ingredients
- 30 phyllo pastry mini cups (like, Athens)
- 1/2 lb breakfast sausage (like, Jimmy Dean)
- 2 oz chopped black olives
- 1/4 cup Ranch dressing (like, Hidden Valley)
- 1 cup shredded Colby and Monterey Jack Cheese
- dash of Tabasco Sauce
- pinch fine sea salt
- 8-10 grinds freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/4 red bell pepper, very finely cubed for garnish
- fresh chives, snipped for garnish
- non-stick cooking spray (like, Pam)
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350°F.
- In a skillet over medium heat, brown the sausage and make sure it is well crumbled into very small pieces. Remove from the skillet and drain well on paper towels. Allow it to cool slightly.
- In a mixing bowl, combine all the remaining ingredients with the sausage and mix well to combine.
- Leave the pastry shells in freezer until this point. Remove them to a cookie sheet or sheet pan with a light coating of non-stick spray.
- Carefully stuff each shell with the sausage mixture
- Bake the shells 8-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and the pastry is becoming golden.
- Garnish with the small cubes of red bell pepper and snipped chives.
