Puff Pastry Tempeh with Raspberry Balsamic Reduction

puff
I found the most beautiful raspberries at the farmers’ market and could not wait to use them.  Of course I love to pop them in my mouth just as they are, but I wanted to create a savory recipe with them as well.  I think the freshness of the raspberries really elevates the taste of this dish, but you could certainly use frozen raspberries instead.   The tempeh is the perfect texture for the puff pastry.  It has just the right amount of substance and the marinade flavors it so nicely.
DSC_0469
This dish is perfect for company as it looks quite elegant, yet it is also easy enough to make for dinner just any old night of the week.  Actually, sometimes I forget about the puff pastry and just marinate the tempeh and heat it in a frying pan with a teaspoon of oil, and it is an easy and very tasty meal.
tempeh
If using the puff pastry, just make sure to check that it is vegan (most frozen packaged puff pastry brands are).  As for the raspberry balsamic reduction, it is really delicious and the perfect complement to this dish.  The yield of this recipe is somewhat large – 12 squares, so you can cut the recipe in half or you can freeze the leftovers.  I like to make the whole recipe and freeze half for another time.  Two meals for the time investment of one – that’s something I always love!
You will need:
  • 1 17 oz package vegan puff pastry sheets
  • 2 8 oz packages tempeh
  • 3 T dijon mustard
  • 3 T soy sauce
  • 3 T maple syrup
  • 3 T vegetable broth
  • 3/4 t garlic powder
  • 3/4 t onion powder
  • 3/8 t dried thyme

Remove the pastry sheets from the packaging and defrost for 40 minutes.

Cut each tempeh block into 3 squares and then cut each square in half width-wise to make them thinner.  You will have 12 thin squares.

squares

Whisk all ingredients except pastry sheets and tempeh in a shallow bowl.  Add the tempeh squares and let marinate for 30 minutes, flipping after 15.

marinade

Preheat oven to 400.  Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Roll out the pastry sheets a few times to enlarge a bit.  Cut into 12 squares (6 squares per sheet).  Place a tempeh square in the center of each pastry square and top with a teaspoon or so of marinade.

DSC_0463

Fold the corners over, then place on baking sheet, seam side down.

DSC_0466

Bake 20 minutes, or until golden.

fork

DSC_0459

serves 12

Raspberry Balsamic Reduction

DSC_0461

  • 1 cup fresh raspberries
  • 2 t maple syrup
  • 1/2 c balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 c vegetable stock
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 1 T+ 1 t fresh thyme, chopped, or 1 t dried

Place raspberries and maple syrup in food processor and process.  Pour into a small saucepan and cook over medium high heat for 2 minutes.  Add stock, balsamic vinegar, salt and thyme.  Bring to a low boil and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly as it thickens.  You can strain it if you prefer not to have the seeds.

4 thoughts on “Puff Pastry Tempeh with Raspberry Balsamic Reduction

  1. Looks great, I have some phyllo dough that I will use, just have to remember to take it out the night before. Been working with tempeh for 30 years when we started producing Betsy’s Tempeh in Mich. in the mid 80’s developing a new process for making tempeh.
    If you are ever in the LA area we live north of LA about 60 miles, stop by for a tempeh panini.
    betsy shipley

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s