Risolles a la Dauphine

 

Rissoles a la Dauphine

(Hand-held meat pies from the region of France known as Dauphine)

1 recipe puff pastry or frozen puff pastry sheets (generally found in

                             the freezer section with dessert pastries)

Beef Filling:

     12 ounces ground beef

     2 large shallots, finely chopped

     2 cloves garlic, peeled & minced

     1 tablespoon dried Herbs de Provence

     2 teaspoons lemon zest

     2 teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

     2 eggs, slightly beaten

     2 tablespoons olive oil

     2 tablespoons finely minced fresh parsley (1 tab. dried)

     8 ounces grated gruyere or parmesan cheese

     vegetable oil for frying

     -In a skillet, heat olive oil and add shallot and fry about      5 minutes until softened.  Add garlic and continue cooking for another minute.  Add the beef and brown, breaking the meat apart as it is cooking.  Add the Provencal herbs, lemon zest, salt and pepper and taste for seasoning.  Cool mixture then mix in 1 egg and minced parsley to bind it together.  Set filling aside or chill until ready to use.

For pastry:

      -Remove pastry sheets from the wrappers and set them on the counter for about 5 minutes.  Unfold each pastry sheet and open to the shape of a tent and allow them to continue to thaw another 5 - 10 minutes.  

      -Lightly flour your work surface and roll one sheet at a time out into a rectangle, approximately 12 x 14 inches. Using a 4-        5 inch doughnut cutter or ring, cut out as many circles as you can.  This recipe should make about 18 Risolles.  Repeat with other puff pastry sheet as needed.

     -Brush edges of each circle with egg wash made of one beaten egg mixed with 2 tab. milk or water.  Place 1/4 to 1/3 cup of        filling in the center of each pastry round.  Sprinkle each with        gruyere cheese.  

     -Fold circle in half, enclosing filling and pinch edges together tightly with your fingers.  Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or silpad, at least 1 inch apart, then crimp edges of Risolles together firmly with the tines of a fork.

     -Bake in preheated 375 degree oven until puffy and golden,    25 - 30 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature with the Persillade dip (below).  

Persillade Dip:

4 tablespoon olive oil

1 ounce fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

1/2 ounce fresh tarragon leaves finely chopped (or dried)

1/2 shallot, peeled and finely chopped

1/2 ounce fresh dill, finely chopped (or chives)

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

    -Mix above ingredients and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. Store in the fridge.  Serve as dip either cold or at room temperature.

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   Roll puff pastry out to large 1/4 inch thick rectangle.

Cut pastry into rounds and brush

 edges with egg wash.

Place beef filling on each pastry round,

top with cheese and fold over into half circle.

Place on cookie sheet and seal edges by

 pressing firmly with fork tines.

Beautiful, golden, flaky pastry with

delicious beef and cheese filling!

PERSNICKETY NOTES: 

**Herbs de Provence originate from the southern region of France, Provence, and are combinations of the following dried herbs: rosemary, fennel seed, savory, thyme, basil, marjoram, lavender flowers, parsley, oregano, tarragon, bay powder.  Or you can buy this combination from Amazon or can sometimes find it in the spice aisle of your local store.  There are also recipes for it online, but I prefer buying it already mixed.  Cheaper and less work!

**Lemon Zest is simply the finely grated rind of a lemon.  You can use the finest holes on your grater or use a microplane grater to shave tiny bits of the rind off the lemon.

**Making your own puff pastry is so much fun and gratifying, but truth be told, I generally buy the frozen puff pastry to save time and effort.  If you want to master the art of making puff pastry, start with the short-cut version often called "rough puff" pastry.  There are several videos and different versions of how to make it on youtube.  This is a great one to try if you are interested:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XQY4KDIo24&t=25s    It's so delicious because there is so much butter in it!

**Re-using puff pastry scraps.  Do not ball scraps together like you would with sugar cookie dough.  This will destroy the layers of pastry you have worked so hard to achieve.  You can lay the scraps on top of each other, cover with plastic and chill for an hour, remove from fridge and then roll out again to 1/4 inch thickness.  Cut out more circles at this point or simply cut into rectangles, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake for a delicate pastry cookie!

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