Savory Snacks - pastry

Method

• Egg wash: Combine the yolks, whole egg, and milk in a small mixing bowl and whip with a hand whisk until well combined.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C).
• Remove the puff pastry from the refrigerator.
• If you are only making 1 thing at a time, return the rest of the puff pastry to the refrigerator.
• Cheese twists: Place a piece of puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface and pat it into a rectangle.
• Use a rolling pin to roll the puff pastry into a 12 by 20-inch rectangle about 1/8-inch thick.
• Roll the dough thinly because it will rise in the oven.
• Flour the dough and table as needed to keep the dough from sticking to the table or the rolling pin.
• Place the dough on your work surface with a long side facing you.
• Use a pastry brush to coat the surface of the rectangle with some egg wash. Liberally sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the rectangle, followed by the salt and pepper.
• Use a sharp paring knife to cut the rectangle into 1-inch-wide strips from top to bottom.
• Flip each strip so that the cheese is on the bottom.
• Twist each strip by rolling each end in opposite directions.
• Always remember to twist so that the topping faces out --that way you can see how they are flavored.
• Place the strips on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet and bake until well risen and golden brown, about 20 minutes.
• Cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
• Anchovy puffs: Place a piece of puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface and pat it into a rectangle.
• Roll the dough into a 10 by 12-inch rectangle with the long side facing you and cut it in half from top to bottom.
• Use a pastry brush to coat 1 piece of the dough with egg wash. Lay the anchovy fillets spaced about 1-inch apart from top to bottom on the egg-washed dough.
• Place the other rolled-out dough half on top of the anchovies and mark each anchovy by pressing the dough on either side of each fillet.
• Use a sharp paring knife to cut between each puff pastry-covered fillet.
• Next, cut the filled strips in half from top to bottom to make small anchovy packets.
• Use a knife to score the top of the dough at a diagonal.
• Place on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet and brush with more egg wash. Bake until well risen and golden brown, about 20 minutes.
• Cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
• Olive puffs: Place a piece of puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface and pat it into a rectangle.
• Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a 10 by 12-inch rectangle and repeat the procedure of making anchovy strips using olives instead.
• There is no need to cut these in half.
• Just cut between the olives to make small packages.
• Baking and cooling is the same.