- What’s your flavour?
The ultimate Pastry Twist
Last week the trio of dancing melting moment biscuits was exciting enough for me that I did not think it was possible to get overly entusiastic over a humble pastry twist. This simple recipe has truly unleashed the creative baking banshee from deep within my inner madness. In four short days I have gone from 1 idea to over 60+ flavour combinations for this recipe which is perfect for any occasion but even more so for Christmas as there is a flavour for everyone. Puff pastry twists are winters little soft comforting pillows of buttered air with devilishly tasty fillings in sweet or savoury formations depending on one’s mood and what you have available. They are so moreish that I now play the obsessive nutter that shouts out pastry twist flavour combinations randomly in the most inappropriate of places (e.g. shouting meatballs and marinara in the toilets is not always the best plan) or an idea will take hold and I’ll yell out ‘Oh Yes!’ as if I have a winning lottery ticket followed by full on air punching and then I turn into Churchill the nodding dog as I continue to think about it.
- Merry Twistmas
Beat the Food Price Hike
In truth pastry twists are a winning ticket in their own right as with rising food prices we all have to think smart this year to reduce our shopping bills and not pay the astronomical prices they put on party foods. With this recipe you can afford to be the smug party host with a secret stash of goodies in the freezer instead of embracing trolley rage aisles of supermarkets foraging for flavourless snacks only to be charged a small fortune for them. You need no special equipment, little and no baking know how. This is a simple succesful recipe anyone can have a go at and at this time of year that’s all I want!
You can make these in less than 10 minutes with a nice cold glass of wine nibbling the ingredients as you go which is a necessary part of cooking. You can also make these with the children in your life and create varieties that everyone will enjoy which makes them perfect for those who follow special diets and fussy eaters. I have a whole batch of Santa’s Swizzlers (see top 10 below) in the freezer ready to bake in memory for Jo’s event as well as on the morning of December 25th to help fuel the family with enough energy for paper slaying like a real life game of fruit ninja (game app) but with less messy wrapping paper.
Use it as a question on speed dating
- What’s your flavour?
What noise does a Goat Make?
Just for fun I thought I would make up names for the Top Ten Pastry Twists ideas (see below) and I was trying to think of name for one with goats cheese but I could not remember what noise a goat made? I asked my Husband about this he laughed which made me laugh and then I was snorting with laughter. ‘No dear’ he said ‘that’s the noise a a pig makes!’ but he did tell me and that’s how the ‘Get meeeeeeh to the Greek’ pastry twist was born!
See below for flavour ideas I warn you it is addictive one you start thinking…
Basic Recipe
1 x ready to use pre-rolled puff pastry
1 x egg ( for brushing pastry)
Fillings
Equipment
2 x lined baking trays , rolling pin (optional) and a knife
Yummyness made in less than 10 minutes
Cakeboule’s Top 10 Pastry Twist Ideas
Use up your Christmas left overs (and then bake them for new years eve parties) – think Christmas pud & custard , turkey & stuffing, sausage & bacon with cheese or roast potatoes and sausage, bubble & squeak etc ..
Be creative – grab what is in your fridge and do a Jamie Oliver with it – go on whack it all in and create!
Cheesecake inspired- whip 50g of cream cheese with 50g of icing sugar and spreas on. Sprinkle broken digestives/grahams crackers, and add spoons of jam or fresh fruit and dust with icing sugar
Use an old favourite for inspiration – pizza flavours, subways, desserts you name it you can pastry twist it (even pickled eggs and ready salted crisps if that’s your thing!)
Make them as you cook – as you cook meals on the run up to Christmas you can create a lot of flavours such as bolognaise, curry etc which can easily be used in twists. Keep a small portion (approx 3- 4 tbsp) to one side and then spread it inside as a filling. No extra effort required!
On a stick- Insert a wooden skewer inside the twist before baking and you have a twist on a stick – no messy hands! Or cut the twists in half and do mini ones on cocktail sticks (don’t get me started on things that go on sticks as I won’t calm down from the excitement for hours!)
Freeze & bag them – freeze them on a baking sheet and then once frozen bage them up ready for the party season or when you get unexpected guests or just fancy a snack. Take them out of the freezer and leave at room temperature for 10 mins before baking.
- Christmas Morning (ready for paper slaying)
Cakeboules’ Top 10 Patry Twists
Santas Swizzler – mincemeat , chunks of chocolate and balls of marizipan dusted with cinnamon sugar – these are well tested and loved!
Passionate Peroni Pizza (shown left) – pizza sauce, pepperoni, mozzarella and sprinkled with mature cheddar and cracked black pepper
Bologs to it: bolognaise sauce sprinkled with parmesan
Turkish Temptress – Turkish delight, chocolate spread and chocolate chunks dusted with icing sugar
App for that: raisins, brushed melted butter and apple sprinkled with cinnamon sugar
Choccywockydoodah Explosion – nutella, chunks of chocolate (any bars), crushed oreo biscuit, marshmallows and dusted with coco powder and popping candy
Get meeeeeeh to the Greek – Goats cheese, spinach and pesto
Sweet Hot Bird: Sweet chilli sauce & strips of cooked chicken
Reece’s Peanutbutter Cups: Dulce du leche (caramel sauce), small spoonfuls of peanut butter, chunks of chocolate with pieces of honeycomb (or use crunchie if it’s Friday)
Homemade Jacuzzi: Baked beans, grated cheese & bacon
I could go on for days ….
Whatever you have wrap it lovingly in a pastry twist, freeze, bake, take the credit and enjoy a stress free holiday because you’re worth it.
Why not comment with your flavour ideas…
