These delicious asparagus, ham and cheese puffs are a snap to make and are sure to impress your friends and family! All you need is four ingredients and ten minutes of your time!
If you love baking with puff pastry as much as I do, check out my recipe for the best Apple Turnovers that will put your local bakery to shame!
Puff Pastry Appetizers
Puff pastry has long been one of my favourite ingredients to work with! It’s easy to use, since we can buy it pre-made, and it always delivers amazingly impressive results. These delicious ham and cheese puff pastry pockets are no exception.
Just imagine serving them as starters for a nice dinner or as nibbles for your cocktail party.
You can whip them up quickly for a Mother’s Day or Easter brunch! No one will believe it took you 10 minutes of hands-on time! They are so versatile.
Tips on using puff pastry
- Puff pastry is sold either in a block or already rolled in a sheet. I prefer already-rolled as it makes my job even quicker.
- When buying it look for all butter puff pastry for more delicious results!
- If you purchase your pastry frozen, defrost in a fridge and take it out 10 minutes before using. It should be pliable but still chilled.
- Puff pastry could be used in savoury or sweet recipe, so let your imagination go wild.
- One of my favourite savoury recipes are Chorizo Sausage Rolls or Puff Pastry Pizza. Both are easy enough to make with kids!
- When I crave something sweet I turn to my quick Puff Pastry Cinnamon Rolls or Nutella Palmiers. Also super easy to make with kids.
- Puff pastry expands quite a bit when baked, so make sure you space out your creations by placing them at least 2 inches apart.
- Always brush your puff pastry appetizers with egg wash before baking for that gorgeous golden look.
- Use parchment paper to line a baking sheet for easy removal and clean-up!
How to make ham and cheese puffs
This recipe is so easy because all you do is assemble and bake. No actual cooking.
If your puff pastry came in a block, you will need to roll it on floured surface into a rectangular sheet ¼ inch thick.
In the UK pre-rolled puff pastry sheets come ready for use. However, in the US, the pastry sheets are too thick, so you will still need to roll them to ¼ inch thickness.
Then all you do is cut them into squares and layer them with slices of ham, raw asparagus spears and cheese. Grated cheese could be used in place of cheese slices.
It’s important to brush the puff pastry with egg wash before bringing the opposite corners together to form a parcel, which will seal them.
What cheese to use
Any cheese that melts well. Cheddar, Gouda, Edam, Mozzarella, etc. Basically, use the cheese you love or happen to have in your fridge. One type of cheese I would advise against is halloumi as it doesn’t melt.
Enjoy and let me know what occasion you made them for!
Ingredients
- 375g/13oz puff pastry
- 6 slices ham
- 6 slices cheese such as Cheddar
- 18 spears asparagus optional
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 tsp poppy seeds
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200C/400F. On a floured surface roll out the puff pastry into a ¼ inch thick rectangle. Then cut into 6 equal size squares. Lay down slices of ham (they might need to be cut down to size) diagonally (see photos for reference), then 3 asparagus spears per pastry and top with a slice of cheese or 2 tbsp of grated cheese.
- Bring one corner of the puff pastry over and brush the tip of it with a beaten egg, then fold the opposite corner, so it overlaps, press down with a fork to seal. Arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet 2 inches apart, brush the top of the pastries with a beaten egg and sprinkle with a mixture poppy and sesame seeds. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden. Best served fresh.
