Cheese and Marmite Straws & Bryndza Cheese Straws

Before Christmas I saw a cooking show on ITV, while running on the treadmill in the gym. Even since I wanted to try this quick, easy recipe that would be perfect for unexpected guests. I never liked Marmite on a toast, but I love the Marmite coated cashew and Marmite crisps you can buy in the supermarket, so I tough to give it a go. And I was right, it was delicious. For the other half of the puff pastry I used bryndza cheese (we call it brindza in Hungary) which is made from sheep and goats milk, usually soft, spreadable, "smelly" cheese. It is also you either love it or hate it, so basically I placed two "love it or hate it" ingredients together and we loved them both.

Cheese and Marmite Straws & Bryndza Cheese Straws

Ingredients for the Marmite Straws

250g puff pastry

20 g butter, melted

1 tbsp Marmite

50 g parmesan cheese, grated

50 g mature cheddar cheese, grated

Ingredients of the Bryndza Straws

250g puff pastry

20 g butter, melted

100g bryndza cheese

50 g mature cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 190C.

Whichever filling you choose the preparation is identical.

Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface to roughly 4 mm thick and achieve a rectangle shape. Brush the melted butter on the surface of the pastry than spread the Marmite on one half. Sprinkle  3/4 of both cheeses on the Marmite covered half, then fold the pastry over lengthways.

 Using your rolling pin compress the pastry (gently, but firmly) so you have the filling in between the pastry layer tightly. This will help retain the nice filling line when you twist the strip. Roll until the pastry is 3-4 mm thick.

With a pizza cutter, cut 1 cm wide strips and twist. Arrange on baking sheets (and chill for 10 minutes before baking-if you have the time). Spay some vegetable fat on the strips, sprinkle on the rest of the cheese and bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown and puffed up. 

If the strips don't want to stay twisted on the baking sheet, just lightly press down the two ends with your fingers, so the pastry "sticks" to the baking sheet.

To do the bryndza Straws just repeat the same process, but replace the Marmite with Bryndza.

Parmesan and Smoked Sausage Palmiers

This is the type of food that looks ugly, but tastes heaven. Also this starter is my usual life saver when I have to make some food for unexpected guests:) You can make your own puff pastry if you like, but personally for this recipe the shop bought puff pastry just as delicious.

Parmesan and Sausage Palmiers 

Ingredients

1 jus-roll puff pastry (500g)

4 tbsp capers

150g smoked dried sausage(we Hungarians have a great type: kolbasz) but if you don't have the Hungarian version you can use Chorizo or something similar

8-9 sun dried tomato
2 tbsp Italian/Provence herb mix
1egg
60g Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Chop the dried sausage and the sun dried tomato to small pieces and place them in a bowl. Add the capers, herb mix and some oil from the sun dried tomato(you should add about 4-6 tablespoon, as this liquid will act as a glue also your palmiers won't dry out during baking) and mix it together. 

On a lightly floured surface roll out the puff pastry to a rectangular shape until it is 4-5mm thick. Spread your mixture evenly across the puff pastry. 
Start roll the pastry from both longer ends until you meet in the middle. For instance if you have a rectangle of 30X15cm you start roll the 30cm side, meeting in the middle, so both part of the palmier have 15cm of pastry rolled in.

With a sharp knife cut them to 0.7-1cm pieces than place them on a baking sheet a few centimetres apart as they will puff up during baking. 
Cover all with egg wash than put he grated parmesan cheese on top. Bake it for 25-35 minutes or until the palmiers are golden brown.
When it is ready leave it to cool then serve immediately.
Depending on the rolling and cuts, I usually have 15-20 small palmiers.

Chicken liver and peas lattice pastry

Now...you have two options: buy the puff pastry ready in the shop or you can make your own. And I will be honest here, I bought the pastry in the shop. I never intended to make this creation, but my husband and his friend were occupied with a boring film...and I was in the kitchen anyway. They told me that they are hungry..and I happened to have chicken liver and some puff pastry in the fridge. So I used what I had, as usual.

Chicken liver and peas lattice pastry

As I had two men in the house I mad 4 massive rectangle one,but you can crate small squares or rectangles as well.

For the pastry
1 shop bought puff pastry 
or
you can make a rough puff pastry, for that you need:
500g plain flour
500g very cold butter, cut into small cubes
1 tbs salt
250 ml ice-cold water

For the filling
1 onion
400g chicken liver
200g peas
salt, black pepper
3 tbs olive oil
2-3 tbs paprika

1egg

If you make your own pastry: from Michel Roux
Heap the flour in a mound on the work surface and make a well. Put the butter and salt and work them together with the fingertips of one hand, gradually drawing the flour into the centre with the other hand.

When the cubes of butter have become small pieces and the dough is grainy, gradually add the iced water and mix until it is all incorporated, but don't overwork the dough. Roll it into a ball, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Flour the work surface and roll out the pastry to a 40X20cm rectangle. Fold it into three and give it a quarter-turn. Roll the block of pastry into a 40X20cm rectangle as before, and fold it into tree again. 
These are the first 2 turns. Wrap the block in cling film and refrigerate it for 30minutes.

Give the chilled pastry another 2 turns, rolling and folding as before. This makes a total of 4 turns, and the pastry is now ready. Wrap it in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using.

Tightly wrapped in cling film, this quick puff  pastry will keep for 3 days in the fridge, and for at least 4 weeks in the freezer.

OR
Just unwrap the ready pastry from the shop and roll out.

Preheat the oven for 180 °C

For the filling
Using a sharp knife cut the liver into small pieces and chop the onion to small cubes. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a high heat with the oil, then add the onions and fry it until it is golden in colour. Add the liver and fry them together for 3-5 minutes. Add in the frozen or canned peas then season with salt, pepper and paprika and fry for another 2 minutes.
When it is all ready put 3-4 tbs filling into the half of a dough piece. Roll a lattice cutter through the other half of the pastry(or use a knife to crate a lattice like holes) and fold it on top of the filling.
Brush the pastry with the beaten egg and put into the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until it is golden brown. 
When the top is nice brown check the bottom of the pastry as sometimes because of the amount of filling it can be uncooked. If this is the case, just turn up side down and bake it for another 10minutes.