Plus, you get the fun of fooling people into thinking that the golden-brown pastry shell they see contains something else, entirely. I mean, seriously, who would ever guess that SOUP was inside? For the surprise value, alone, I think this is an appetizer recipe that everyone should have in their collection.

As Tieghan says, “I think these may just be the best thing ever.” I would have to agree. But they aren’t exactly finger food, because the filling is quite likely to ooze a little bit. So serve them on small plates, with forks. They are now my favorite appetizer for fall.

 

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion finely chopped

1 clove garlic minced or grated

¼ cup flour

1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk or 1½ cups milk

4 cups fresh or frozen broccoli florets

1-2 cups mushrooms diced (optional)

1-2 cups chicken or vegetable broth plus 2 cups water to thin

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to your taste

½ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon salt + ¼ teaspoon pepper

2-3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, plus more for topping

2 sheets frozen puff pastry thawed

1 egg lightly beaten

Flaked salt, for serving

 

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the onion + garlic and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes, then gradually whisk in the milk until smooth. Add 1 cup broth, the broccoli, mushrooms, cayenne and nutmeg, then season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 15-20 minutes.

Once the broccoli is tender, remove at least half of it from the soup. Puree the remaining soup in batches in a blender until chunky-smooth. Return the soup to the pot. Add back the reserved broccoli.

Add the cheese to the soup and whisk over medium heat until melted. Simmer the soup 10 minutes or until the soup is very thick. You want the soup to be more like a stew and not thin at all. Remove from the heat. Scoop out about half of the soup into a heat-proof bowl. Place the bowl of soup in the fridge for 30 minutes (or the freezer for 15). Return the remaining soup still in the pot back to the stove. Stir in the remaining 1 cup chicken broth. Keep the soup warm for serving or allow to cool and save for lunch tomorrow!!

While the soup in the fridge cools, lay the thawed puff pastry sheets out flat on a floured work surface. Cut large circles out (I used a 4 1/4 inch circle cookie cutter) of the pastry with a ring cutter, about 4 per pastry sheet. Roll up the scraps of pastry dough and roll them back out to cut more circles. Then grab a rolling pin and roll the circles out just a bit to make them a little larger. Brush each circle with the beaten egg on the outer edge of half of the circle.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Once the soup has cooled and is thick, spoon 2-4 tablespoons of the soup into the center of each round of pastry dough. Fold the dough over to cover the filling, making a semi-circle. Use the ends of a fork to seal the edges together. Place the pies on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Repeat with the rest of the pastry dough. When all of the pies are on the baking sheet, cut air holes in the top of each pie and then brush the tops with egg wash. Sprinkle with a little cheddar cheese. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes until puffed and nicely browned. Don’ freak, but these are going to ooze! Serve warm with the remaining soup for dipping!

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Quick Tip:  Not only can you make these appetizers in advance, you can also freeze them! Just make up a batch and freeze them, uncooked. Let them thaw overnight when you know you are going to serve them the next day, then bake per the recipe. Impromptu guests? No worries, just defrost what you need in your microwave and bake.

Recipe and image courtesy of Tieghan at Half Baked Harvest