Ham, Cheese & Herb Puff Pastry Pinwheels

Ham, Cheese & Herb Puff Pastry Pinwheels, a perfect appetiser for early birds.

Whenever you host a party at home, there's always the possibility of people arriving late. What can you serve to the early birds without stuffing them too much and depriving them of the delicious meal ahead?

I recently made this appetiser and it was a big hit, and they're very easy to make as well with store bought puff pastry. The small, light, individual bite sized servings allow your guest to eat as little or as much as they want to, while waiting for the other guests. But they're so good that one of my guests last Christmas ate 8 of them in one sitting!





HAM, CHEESE & HERB PUFF PASTRY PINWHEELS

2 sheets of puff pastry
1 cup of grated Asiago cheese
1/2 cup of chopped, fresh sage
Mustard - dijon or dijonnaise is fine
8 slices of honey baked ham slices
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
1 egg, beaten

1. Mix together the cheese, pepper, chill flakes.  Set aside.

2. Lay out the frozen puff pastry (one sheet at a time; keep the other one in the freezer while you're working on this one) on baking paper.

Puff pastry comes in different shapes and sizes, but this one is the one I have a hand:

3. Spread the mustard evenly on the pastry, leaving a 1 cm border.

4. Arrange 4 slices of ham on one sheet of pastry. Top with the cheese mixture.

5. Brush egg on the borders. From one end of the sheet, roll tightly, away from you. When done, position the seam side down. Wrap tightly with the baking paper and chill. (At this stage, this roll can be frozen, to be defrosted and sliced later.)

6. When ready to use, slice crosswise with a sharp knife, about 1 cm in diameter for each pinwheel. Line a baking pan with baking paper. Put the pinwheels, at least 1 inch apart, because the pastry will puff up. Bake in preheated oven, 400F, for 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Tip: Remember to work fast.  Puff pastry has butter inside it and you don't want the butter to melt before baking. Those frozen bits of butter are what give puff pastry that flaky texture.