THE CANUCK POCKET
The world has come to Canada, and this is how you feed it. The Canuck Pocket folds our whole Canadian table into one golden, blistered shell of puff pastry: peameal bacon, old cheddar and squeaky cheese curds, sweet leeks, corn and tender potato, all pulled together with garlic, Dijon and a dark thread of maple. It bakes until the crust shatters and the inside runs rich and gold. Hearty, generous and built loud for the biggest summer the country has hosted in a generation. Tear one open and the whole feast comes spilling out.
INGREDIENTS:
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
4 slices peameal bacon, about 1/4-inch thick, trimmed to fit inside pastry
1 cup frozen cubed hash browns
1/2 cup grated cheddar
1/2 cup cheese curds, chopped
1/2 cup trimmed, thinly sliced leeks, horizontally
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup Garlic EVOO
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp Maple Dark Balsamic
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, beaten
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
In large bowl, combine frozen hash browns, cheddar, cheese curds, leeks and corn. Whisk together Garlic EVOO, Dijon, Maple Dark Balsamic and black pepper until creamy. Pour over potato mixture and toss to coat. Ensure that it is not too wet, the mixture should be lightly coated.
Lightly roll each puff pastry sheet slightly thinner. Cut each sheet in half to make 4 rectangles. Place one slice peameal bacon on one half of each rectangle, leaving generous border. Spoon one-quarter potato mixture over peameal. Fold pastry over filling. Press out excess air, seal edges, then trim into half-moon shape with sharp knife or pastry wheel. Crimp edges with fork. Brush with beaten egg and cut 2 or 3 small steam vents in top.
Bake 35–40 minutes, until pastry is deep golden brown and crisp. Let stand 5 minutes. Serve warm. For dipping, whisk together extra Garlic EVOO, Dijon and Maple Dark Balsamic in the same proportions as the filling sauce.
