Quick savory puff pastry bites, an easy starter with puff pastry and smoked salmon, served with a delicious citrus robiola cream. Every year on Christmas Eve and during the holidays the hunt begins for a Christmas starter that wows — more theatrical, quick and tasty than anything else. Since starters are the most appreciated course at my house, to impress my family and guests I thought of these savory puff pastry bites with smoked salmon: elegant, practical, flavorful and refined, ideal for the holiday table but also great for a standing buffet or an aperitif. To make this elegant, theatrical and quick holiday starter you’ll need one sheet of puff pastry, robiola, mascarpone, lemon and orange juice and zest, and a few more simple ingredients. Now let’s go to the kitchen to discover how to make these tasty savory bites with puff pastry. Before that, if you want to stay updated on all my recipes, you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here).

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Difficulty: Very easy
Cost: Budget-friendly
Preparation time: 15 Minutes
Portions: 16
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients to make Savory Puff Pastry Bites with Smoked Salmon

1 sheet puff pastry (rectangular)
7.1 oz robiola cheese (about 7/8 cup)
7.1 oz mascarpone (about 7/8 cup)
1 lemon (juice and zest)
1 orange (juice and zest)
to taste salt
to taste extra virgin olive oil
to taste black pepper
4.2 oz smoked salmon (slices or fillets)

Tools

Round cutter about 2 3/8 in
Cupcake liners
Oven
Baking trays
Piping bag
Star piping tips

Steps to make Savory Puff Pastry Bites with Smoked Salmon

Place the robiola and mascarpone in a bowl, add salt, olive oil, parsley, orange juice, lemon juice and the grated zest of both fruits.
Mix until you obtain a smooth mixture and place it in the fridge.
Unroll the puff pastry and cut out discs of about 6 cm (about 2 3/8 in). Place each disc into a muffin liner and prick with the tines of a fork. Bake in a conventional oven at 200°C (392°F) for about 6 minutes or until golden. The discs may puff up during baking; this is not a problem — continue baking and press lightly on each liner with a wooden spoon or a spoon to deflate them.
Remove the discs from the oven and let them cool. Fill a piping bag with the prepared cream and pipe a small rosette onto each disc.
Cut the salmon into small pieces — using smoked salmon fillets would be more theatrical — distribute it over the pastries and garnish with orange slices and mint leaves.
The savory bites are ready to be served. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 24 hours covered with plastic wrap. If you want to prepare them in advance, prepare the cream and the pastry bases and assemble everything shortly before serving.