Pâté Chaud (Vietnamese Patê Sô)

Directions

1. Defrost puff pastry according to instructions and leave in the fridge.
2. In a non-stick pan, over medium heat, fry shallots and garlic with a quarter teaspoon of oil (as little oil as possible), mostly to sweat them and drive off the water. A bit of browning is perfect too.
3. In a food processor, add the shallots, garlic, pate, ground pork, salt, sugar, black pepper, and msg. Blend until a smooth paste is formed. Microwave a quarter teaspoon of the meat mixture for 45 seconds to check for taste if needed.
4. Make an egg wash with the egg, adding about a tablespoon of water to thin. Line two baking trays with parchment.
5. Working one pastry sheet at a time (so pastry sheets don't get too warm/leave in the fridge), cut into 3"x3" squares. Two squares are needed for each pastry, and most pastry sheets are 9"x9" or 12"x9".
6. Add 2 tablespoons of meat mixture to the center of one pastry square (~30g), and use eggwash to seal a second pastry square on top. Use a fork to crimp the edges. Repeat until all pastry sheets are used up; you will likely have a bit of leftover filling that can be cooked and eaten separately.
7. Place all the crimped pastries into the fridge (or freezer if necessary) for ~10 minutes, just for the butter in the pastry sheets to firm up again. Preheat oven to 350F on convection in the meantime.
8. Once the pastries have been sufficiently chilled, brush the tops with a thin layer of the remaining eggwash and immediately place into the preheated oven. Bake for 20 minutes, then rotate trays and bake for another 15, for a total of 35 minutes.
9. Allow to cool and enjoy!