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You are going to LOVE my super easy recipe for making Parmesan and Paprika Cocktail Stars. After my famous chocolate brownies, my most popular recipe of all time is this Classic Cheese Straws recipe. This tells that around this time of year with your cocktails (may I recommend a Pomegranate & Rosemary Spritz, a Clementine 75 or a Classic Champagne Cocktail?) is something light, slightly cheesy, slightly spicy and made of pastry? So, I thought this year I’d share a festive nibble that is even easier to make, can be made out of a sheet of ready rolled puff pastry and that will only take less than half an hour from start to finish.
Literally all you need to do is cut little cookie cutter stars out of the pastry (or use a ruler and a sharp knife to cut pastry straws if you don’t have one to hand – I like the smallest of this set #ad), brush them with egg wash and grate over some fresh parmesan or sprinkle over some spices. Let them puff up in the oven, and pile them up on a plate ready for people to enjoy. Honey & Worcestershire Cocktail Sausages always go down a storm as an accompaniment.
You’ll get around 46 parmesan and paprika cocktail stars out of one pastry sheet if you’re careful about getting as many stars out of the pastry as possible (if you’ve made my Easy Apple & Cinnamon Hand Pies you’ll know that pre-rolled puff pastry does not take kindly to being squashed up and re-rolled), which should fit happily on two baking sheets, one for the parmesan stars, one for the paprika ones. You can always just make a big batch of your favourite, but different people like different things, and I love how the two contrasting colours look piled up together on a plate.
These easy canapés are so simple to make and look beautiful piled up on a platter for a Christmas or New Year drinks party.
Ingredients
Scale
1 x 320g (12 oz) Puff Pastry Sheet
Plain Flour
1 Small Egg
Splash Milk
Freshly Grated Parmesan
Sweet Smoked Paprika
Cayenne Pepper
Instructions
Pre-heat the oven to 190 degrees (375 farenheit) and line two baking trays with baking parchment.
Lay the pastry out on a lightly floured surface and cut out as many stars (I use the smallest of this set of cutters #ad) as you can, dividing them between the two baking sheets as you go.
Brush each star with the egg beaten with a splash of milk.
Grate parmesan over one tray of the stars, and sprinkle spices over the over. I like to use a ratio of 2 parts paprika with 1 part cayenne measured roughly with a teaspoon into a mini sieve or a circular tea strainer for easy dusting.
Bake in the oven for around 8 minutes until the stars have puffed up and the parmesan has gone golden.
Allow to cool, then serve piled high on a serving plate.
I'm a food writer living in the English Countryside. Welcome to my online diary where I share easy, weeknight recipes, foodie travel diaries and some of the best places I've eaten out recently.
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One Pan Pescatarian: 100 Delicious Dinners – Veggie, Vegan, Fish
My second cookbook contains 100 delicious dinner recipes, all of which are either vegetarian, vegan or which celebrate fish and seafood - all cooked in either one pot or one pan.*
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