Mini Cheeseburger Puffs

Ever since my occupation turned from being a preschool teacher of four year olds to being a house-wife, I'm now more flexible to cook a variety of dishes. And by flexible I mean: I'm not tired nor crabby, and I'm full of energy. Do cooking shows inspire me even more to cook? Of course! Some of my favorites to watch are Ina Garten (the know-all Barefoot Contessa), Paula Deen yaaaaa'll, Marja and Jean from Kimchi Chronicles, and the infamous Iron Chefs. Actually, Iron Chef just makes me want to eat out at fancier restaurants instead of cooking (sorry honey). But as I delve deeper and deeper into the art of cooking, I realize how much easier it gets, to a point that I can now cook without having to look at recipes. Ta da!

So Paula made these really yummy looking cheeseburger puffs that kindled a spark inside me to try myself. The outcome? Not bad, but my problem was that I didn't have a rolling pin for the pastry puff. So what did I do instead? Patted it down and stretched it out using my hands. It made my puff too thick and it did not bake as fluffy inside. And because I felt like I had failed, I grabbed my 20% off coupon for Bed Bath and Beyond and bought myself a rolling pin for $7.99 plus tax.

Today will be my second time around making these cheeseburger puffs, and I thought I'd share the  slightly tweaked recipe with you! :)

Ingredients

For the meat:
8 ounces ground beef (that's half a pound, but I use a little more than that)
3 tablespoons of chopped red onion
3 cloves of chopped garlic
3 teaspoons ketchup
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
**If you want to add more ingredients (for example: red pepper, scallions, even Tabasco sauce and Worcester sauce), the burgers turn out a bit more meatloafy. But feel free to add whatever ingredients you like! It's all about trial and error. ;)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil All-purpose flour for dusting
1 sheet puff pastry (from a 17.5-ounce package)
1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese (any cheese will do. I like to mix it up)
1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water

1)  If the pastry puff was in the freezer or even fridge, make sure to thaw about a half and hour to an  hour before using it. If there are cracks, you can use water to seal it back together. (Make sure to be generous with the flour so your puff doesn't stick to the surface).

2) In a larger bowl, add all the ingredients from "for the meat" list. Make sure it's thoroughly mixed.

3) Coat pan with oil. Then roll the meat into little meatball sizes and place onto the pan (should make 8 meat patties). Using a spatula, you can push down on the meat to flatten them a bit. Once both sides are browned, place them on a napkin to rest.
4) Unroll the pastry puff and roll them out as far as it can go! Cut it evenly into four strips top to bottom, then lengthwise once. (Again, should have a total of 8 stripes)
5) Place a beef patty onto each strip and top with cheese. Fold the pastry like you're wrapping a present.
6) Lastly, using the beaten egg, brush the top of each cheeseburger puff to give it that crispy glow. (The egg also helps the dough stick)

7) Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 min until the pastry is puffed. It originally said to bake on parchment paper, but greased foil on a pan works fine.








                           Serves about 4, but the husband and I can devour this like nothing.

 

Enjoy! :)