Actually, I didn’t make these. Tarla Fallgatter made them at the cooking class here at my house a
week or so ago. They looked incredibly easy, really. She did, however, make them with smoked salmon (so you don’t even have to cook the salmon since it’s smoked-cooked). But I liked these well enough that I might even try them with regular salmon. However, I think you’d need to cook the salmon before making up the filling. In either case, though, they looked very easy to put together. Yes, it’s done with puff pastry. Trader Joe’s sells it in flat boxes and you just need to defrost it well before starting on this. 
See photo at right. It’s an 18-ounce package.
The filling is a mixture of the salmon, some goat cheese, chives, a tiny bit of egg and a little bit of cream. See, I told you it was easy. The remaining egg is gently brushed on top of each of the little pillows.
You roll out the the puff pastry to a 12-inch square. Tarla’s instructions said she put 9 little mounds of salmon, but I see from the photo that initially she made 12. I think she removed 3 and made it 9 (see 2nd and 3rd photos). I was busy taking pictures and didn’t see her do that.
After folding over the one side of the pastry, she gently pressed her fingers around each filling mound. She cut them with a rounded-edged cutter. I don’t have blunt-edged pastry cutters, but she said a small glass would work – someone else suggested a shot glass. Yes, those would work just fine.
Once the pillows were cut out and placed on a pastry-lined baking sheet, she poked each one in the top (for steam to escape), then brushed them just on the top (not down the sides) with egg yolk. It’s important to NOT let any of the egg glaze go over the sides as that will prevent the pillow from rising properly. Tarla didn’t chill them, but the instructions say to chill for awhile before baking. Do let them cool for 5-10 minutes before serving so people don’t burn their mouths! But do serve them warm.
What I liked: very tasty – full of taste, actually. And as long as you have all the ingredients, they’re quite easy to make. It’s not like you have to make the puff pastry – just buy it. They make a very elegant appetizer.
What I didn’t like: although I liked the smoked salmon, I think maybe the regular salmon would be even better, but that’s just my personal taste.
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Smoked Salmon Pillows
Recipe By: Tarla Fallgatter, from a cooking class
Serving Size: 18
NOTES: When these were demonstrated, Tarla used smoked salmon from Trader Joe’s. And it was good, but I think I’d try it with some just barely cooked regular salmon instead. The recipe makes 18 of these little pillows, enough for two per person. You won’t use all the puff pastry – so the calorie count is off significantly. Once you’ve cut out the pillows you throw away what’s left over – about a third of it.
18 ounces puff pastry — Trader Joe’s, frozen
2 ounces goat cheese — softened to room temp
2 ounces smoked salmon — or use some flaked cooked regular salmon
1 tablespoon fresh chives — minced
1 1/2 teaspoons heavy cream
1 whole egg — lightly beaten
1. FILLING: In a small bowl combine the goat cheese, salmon, chives, cream and 1 1/2 tsp. of the beaten egg. Add a tsp. of water to the remaining egg and reserve for glazing the top of the pastry.
2. PASTRY: Unfold pastry sheet and roll it out to a 12-inch square. Cut the square in half. On one sheet mark off three 2-inch wide columns and three 2-inch wide rows (making 9 small squares) using a knife of tines of a fork. Do NOT puncture through the pastry – you’re just marking spots to put the filling. Place a rounded teaspoon of filling in the center of each square. Gently fold 2nd pastry sheet on top and press down lightly between the rows and columns for form little pillows. Press down just enough to see the mounds of filling.
3. Using a round glass (something with rounded edges like a shot glass, not sharp like cookie or pastry cutters), cut each pillow through, placing even pressure on all sides. Place each pillow on a parchment lined baking sheet. Using a pastry brush, brush the top ONLY of each pastry pillow with the remaining egg glaze. Do not allow the egg mixture to drizzle down the sides as that will prevent the sides from rising properly when baking. As you place the pillows on the baking sheet gently press the edges together to seal. Cover the tray with plastic wrap and chill for a few hours.
4. Preheat oven to 425°. Arrange the rack in the center of the oven. Poke a small hole in the center of each pillow to allow steam to escape. Place pillows on a clean (not chilled) parchment-lined baking sheet (NOT the one you used to chill them) and bake until crisp, puffed and golden, about 12 minutes. Remove and allow to cool on the pans for 5 minutes. Transfer pillows to a rack to crisp slightly. Serve while warm.
Per Pillow (this is way too high because you end up discarding at least a third of the puff pastry): 180 Calories; 12g Fat (62.5% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 13g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 16mg Cholesterol; 110mg Sodium.
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