These are based on pastry twists called “Sacristains” we made at patisserie school. In French Patisseries, there can be a lot of left over puff pastry trimmings after making a particular dessert. If you have ever made puff pastry from scratch you will understand why they wouldn’t want to throw the trimmings away! Instead they layer the trimmings on top of each other and roll them out. The layers won’t be as precise as when first made, which makes them perfect for making Sacristains. At school we made sweet Sacristains with cinnamon and almonds, but you can really put whatever you like in them – bacon and cheese is a very good choice though!
Bacon & Cheese Twists
- 1 pack of ready made puff pastry (about 375g)
- I pack of streaky bacon
- 65g mature cheddar cheese
- 35g parmesan cheese
- a good pinch of English mustard powder
- 1 egg
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Grate both of the cheeses and mix together in a bowl. Roll out the pastry to a thin rectangle the width of a pound coin. Beat the egg lightly and brush a thin layer over the pastry. Spread out the cheese evenly over the top of the pastry. Press the cheese in to the pastry gently using the rolling pin. Sprinkle the mustard powder over the top.
Split each rasher of bacon in two lengthways (the bacon I had separated naturally down the middle but use a sharp knife if it’s not playing). Lay each piece of bacon along the pastry with a small gap in between each slice.
Using a sharp knife, cut the pastry in between each piece of bacon. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Pick up a slice of pastry and twist it round a couple of times, then place on the baking tray. Repeat this with the rest of the pastry. Leave a gap in between each twist on the baking tray as they will puff up – you may need 2 baking trays.
Brush a thin layer of egg wash on to the exposed pastry on the twists. Then pop in the oven for 20-25 minutes. These are best when they are still warm from the oven but can be eaten cold as well.
