White stilton almond pinwheels
Cheese and nuts take a delicious, buttery, flaky spin in these puffed pastries. White Stilton is milder than its blue counterpart and often has a flavouring added. Choose the flavouring that suits your meal and wine best, or go bold by using traditional blue Stilton. The recipe can easily be doubled if you would like eight pastries. Use two baking sheets, and bake one sheet at a time.
2 eggs
¾ cup (175 mL) ground almonds
¼ tsp (1 mL) salt
⅛ tsp (0.5 mL) fresh ground pepper
2 oz (60 g) white Stilton, or 1½ oz (45 g) blue Stilton
8 oz (half a 450 g pkg) butter puff pastry, defrosted but chilled
All-purpose flour
1 tsp (5 mL) water
2 tbsp (30 mL) sliced almonds, preferably with skins
Flaky sea salt, such as fleur de sel
1 Whisk 1 of the eggs in a bowl until blended. Stir in almonds, salt and pepper. Crumble in Stilton and fold just until incorporated. Set aside.
2 Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
3 Roll out puff pastry on a floured surface to a 10-inch (25-cm) square (if necessary). Trim edges to straighten. Cut into 4 equal squares. For each square, starting at each corner, cut a 2-inch (5-cm) slit toward the centre, making 2 points at each corner. Place on prepared baking sheet, spacing at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart.
4 Spoon one-quarter of the filling into the centre of each square and spread out to about a 2½-inch (6-cm) circle. To make pinwheel shape, lift the right-side point of one corner and fold to the centre on top of the filling and press gently into the filling. Repeat with the right-side point of the 3 remaining corners so they meet in the centre. Curve remaining points on the baking sheet to resemble a pinwheel. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or for up to 8 hours (cover with plastic wrap if storing longer than 15 minutes).
5 Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
6 Whisk remaining egg with water in a small bowl. Brush pastry with egg wash and sprinkle with sliced almonds and sea salt.
7 Bake for about 15 minutes or until pastry is puffed and golden and filling is set. Let
cool on pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, and serve warm or let cool to room temperature. To store pastries, return to baking sheet and cover with foil (not plastic) and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. To reheat, uncover and warm in a 350°F (180°C) oven for 5 to 10 minutes.
Serves 4