Peppery Steak Cranberry And Walnut Pockets

I love tucking away tender bits of beef, tangy fruit, tendrils of onions and cheese deglazed in red wine, into a pocket of flaky pastry.

This is a fantastic idea to use leftover cranberries.

But you'll probably find that this recipe is worth buying a fresh bag so you can make these now for your holiday appetizers!

One day it would be interesting to see if homemade puff pastry tastes any better than store bought.

But for now, I'll take the convenient way out - thaw, roll, fold, bake, and enjoy!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon oil (I used my homemade parsley chive chili but you can use plain olive oil) recipes for homemade oils can be found in my cookbook, Growing Herbs: Propagate, Preserve, And Prepare Food From Your Simple Herb Garden.

½ cup onions, chopped

¾ cup fresh cranberries, roughly chopped

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper (less if you want less spice)

1 cup tenderloin steak, cubed

¼ cup dry red wine

1 tablespoon pomegranate dark balsamic vinegar or other dark balsamic

1 tablespoon honey

½ tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced

¼ mascarpone cheese

1/3 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

1 puff pastry sheet, thawed, rolled out slightly and divided into quarters

1/3 cup feta cheese

1 egg, beaten along with a splash of water

Directions

Place pastry sheet onto a baking pan to thaw. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat oil in a skillet on medium. Saute onions and cranberries for about 5 minutes until they start to soften. Toss in steak, along with salt and pepper. Cook for a couple of minutes. Brown the steak but do not fully cook it because you’re going to add more ingredients. Pour in wine and allow to cook off for 3 or 4 minutes. Then add vinegar, honey, and rosemary. Stir and continue cooking until blended and thickened. Melt the mascarpone cheese in. Remove from heat. Check for additional seasoning. Let it cool slightly before placing it on pastry.

Divide the filling evenly and place the mixture in the center of each square of pastry dough. Sprinkle on the feta. Bring each corner up so it creates a pocket and press to seal. Brush the tops with the egg wash. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until they are golden brown.