Maple Sausage Braid

By MooK

Ingredients

• 16 oz Pork Sausage
• 1 pkg Frozen Puff Pastry Dough, 2 sheets, thawed 40 minutes
• 2 cups Peeled & Finely Chopped Apple
• 10 oz Block Extra Sharp Cheddar, grated by hand
• 1 1/2 cups Maple Syrup, divided
• 1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large non-stick skillet, brown the sausage over medium-high heat until cooked through, using a fork to break apart the sausage into pieces as it cooks. Place six paper towels in a large colander. Pour the sausage into the colander and allow it to drain. On a floured surface, roll out each pastry sheet to increase its size by about 1 inch in all directions. Cover with a moist towel to keep from drying out. Mix the sausage, apples, cheese, 1/2 cup syrup, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl, breaking up any large bits of sausage. Divide the mixture between the two pastry sheets, placing the mixture down the center of the dough leaving 2 1/2 inches of pastry border on each of the long sides.

Using a serrated knife, cut the pastry border into 3/4 to 1-inch flaps. Pull the flaps up over the filling, overlapping the flaps alternately to create the appearance of a braid. Transfer the braids to a large cookie sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove each from the cookie sheet using two large spatulas and transfer to a platter. Let the braids set 5 minutes. Slice the braid at the table, drizzle with maple syrup for a little flare, and then serve with additional maple syrup.