French Onion Soup Mini Pies
Flaky mini hand pies filled with deeply caramelized onions, cremini mushrooms, herbs and bubbling Gruyère cheese.
These compact hand pies turn the savory heart of French onion soup into crisp party food: buttery pastry encloses wine-darkened onions, mushrooms, herbs and melted Gruyère.
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- 2
Melt the butter with the onions in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add the wine gradually, 1/3 cup at a time, allowing each addition to cook into the onions.
5 min
- 3
Add the garlic, mushrooms, thyme and sage. Cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are deeply caramelized. Add the broth, increase the heat and bring to a low boil; simmer for 5 minutes, until reduced with very little free liquid. Stir in the cream and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.
15 min
- 4
Lay the pastry sheets on a clean surface and roll them gently to stretch them slightly. Cut each sheet into about eight 3-inch circles.
- 5
Spoon onion filling onto each circle and top with Gruyère, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Brush the borders with beaten egg, fold each circle in half over the filling and crimp the edges with a fork to seal.
- 6
Arrange the pies on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with egg, cut two small steam vents in each pie and sprinkle with any remaining cheese. Freeze for 15 minutes.
15 min
- 7
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and deeply golden and the cheese is bubbling.
25 min
- 8
Serve warm, finished with fresh thyme, sea salt and black pepper.
Ago's Notes
- Add the wine in three additions and let each one cook into the onions before adding the next; this builds color without scorching.
- Reduce the broth until very little liquid remains, then stir in the cream. The filling must be thick and spoonable so it does not soak the pastry.
- Cut about eight 3-inch circles from each pastry sheet. If the filling is difficult to enclose, use a slightly larger cutter rather than overfilling.
- Assemble ahead and refrigerate until baking, or freeze for longer storage. Bake directly from frozen and add about 10 minutes.
Serve the pies warm, when the puff pastry is crisp and the Gruyère is still molten, with a final pinch of thyme, sea salt and black pepper.
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