Everything Bagel Salmon Cream Puffs
Everything Bagel Salmon Cream Puffs bake up flaky and golden, and are topped with the most delicious lemon dill cream cheese and ribbons of smoked salmon. They look fancy enough for any holiday spread, but they’re surprisingly easy to pull off.
Servings: 12 puffs
Ingredients
- 1 puff pastry sheet
- Flour for dusting
- 2-3 tablespoons everything bagel seasoning
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest plus more for serving
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon fresh dill plus more for serving
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
- 3 ounces smoked salmon cut into thin slices
- 2 tablespoons capers optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- If using refrigerated puff pastry, let it rest for 5 minutes at room temperature. If frozen, let it rest for 30 minutes before using.
- Lightly dust a cutting board with flour and unfold the puff pastry sheet. Using a rolling pin, roll it into a 10- x 12-inch rectangle.
- Cut the pastry into twelve to fifteen 2 ½-inch circles. Using a smaller 1 ½-inch cookie cutter, lightly score a ½-inch border around the edges of each circle to create a frame, making sure not to cut completely through the pastry.
- Whisk together the egg and heavy whipping cream in a small bowl until smooth.
- Place the pastry circles onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving space between each one. Brush the outside edges with the egg wash and sprinkle each with about ½ teaspoon of the everything bagel seasoning.
- Bake for 14-15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and cooked through. Using the rounded end of a 1 teaspoon measuring spoon, press the center of each puff to create a well for the filling.
- While the puffs are baking, add the cream cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, black pepper, and dill to a small food processor or blender. Blend for 30-60 seconds, or until smooth.
- Transfer the filling to a plastic zip-top bag and cut off one of the corners. Pipe about 1 tablespoon of the filling into the center of each puff.
- Thinly slice the smoked salmon into ½-inch-wide strips. Loosely fold or ruffle each strip to create a wavy, ribbon-like shape, then gently press the salmon into the cream cheese filling so it sits slightly around the edge.
- Top each puff with a few capers, a small sprig of fresh dill, and additional lemon zest, if desired.
Notes
- Re-roll gently: You can re-roll the pastry scraps to make up to 15 puffs, but the second batch may not rise quite as evenly or look as pretty. (They’ll still taste great, though!)
- Prep ahead wisely: You can bake the pastry shells a few hours in advance and store them at room temperature, but wait to fill and assemble until right before serving. (Cream cheese and smoked salmon shouldn’t sit out longer than 2 hours.)
- Use a microplane for the zest: Finely grated lemon zest blends smoothly into the cream cheese filling and gives a brighter citrus flavor.
- Use cookie cutters: A set of circle cookie cutters makes it easy to get clean, even cuts for the pastry rounds.
- Press the centers while warm: Using the rounded back of a teaspoon to gently press the center of each puff right out of the oven creates the perfect well for filling.
Nutrition
Calories: 197kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 388mg | Potassium: 59mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 301IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg
