Asparagus, Leek & Asiago Puff Pastry Bundles
Our Asparagus, Leek & Asiago Puff Pastry Bundles are an easy and elegant appetizer to start off your holiday dinner. Sautéed leeks and rosemary asiago cheese are what make these asparagus puff pastry bundles recipe so unique. Combined with fresh asparagus and surrounded by a light and flaky puff pastry, this beautiful show stopper makes an impressive first course when entertaining any time of year.
Store bought puff pastry makes this recipe extra easy. Just roll out the pastry, cut into 8 pieces, assemble, and bake. For an elegant lunch, serve alongside a fresh arugula salad, as a main course. Want to know how to mix and match other flavors for this recipe? Read more about this in the Pimp Our Recipe section of our Blog Comments & Tips.
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RECIPE
(Check out our Step by Step Instructions below the recipe card.)
Recipe updated as of 3/28/22
ASPARAGUS, LEEK & ASIAGO PUFF PASTRY BUNDLES
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside. Thaw frozen puff pastry according to the package directions (see Note #1) while you prepare the filling.
- Rinse the leek, with a sharp chef's knife, cut off and discard root and dark green stalks, and cut white and light green parts of the leeks into ¼ inch thick slices. Fill a bowl or basin with cool water, add the sliced leeks, and swish them around in the water to thoroughly wash them. With a fine mesh sieve, lift them out from the water, rinse once more to remove all dirt, and drain.
- Heat a 10 inch sauté pan on medium heat, add butter, and melt. Add leeks, and sauté for 2 minutes. Add a pinch of kosher salt and a pinch of ground black pepper, and sauté for about 8 minutes until wilted and light golden brown on the edges. Remove leeks, and transfer to a bowl to cool.
- Remove tough ends from asparagus (cut all the same length, and long enough so the tips and ends just peek out of the bundles), discard ends, and set aside asparagus. Grate Rosemary & Olive Oil Asiago Cheese, place in a bowl, and set aside (see Note #2).
- Place the parchment paper from your prepared baking sheet onto your work surface, and lightly dust the paper with flour. Unwrap the thawed sheet of frozen puff pastry, place it onto the dusted paper, roll out until it is doubled in size (about ⅛ inch thick), and cut into 8 rectangles. Lift the parchment paper (with the puff pastry) onto your baking sheet (see Note #3).
- In a small glass bowl, beat together egg and water to create an egg wash. With a pastry brush, gently brush each rectangle of puff pastry with egg wash. Evenly dividing sautéed leeks and asparagus, place leeks in a diagonal pile across each rectangle, then place asparagus (about 3-5 stalks per bundle) directly on top of the leeks (in the same direction). Sprinkle asparagus with ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt, a pinch of ground black pepper, and thyme leaves. Evenly divide and sprinkle shredded Rosemary & Olive Oil Asiago Cheese over asparagus. Lift the left corner of pastry up and over (so it fits snuggly over the filling), and lightly press corner of pastry onto the other side to secure. Lift the right corner of the pastry up and over to secure it onto the left side of the pastry. Brush pastry bundles with egg wash, and refrigerate to chill for at least 30 minutes (or until pastry is chilled) before baking.
- Once chilled, bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown and puffed, and serve immediately.
Notes
- It’s important that the puff pastry does not get warm. Puff pastry should be thawed according to package instructions, about 30 minutes (but no more than 40 minutes) prior to rolling out. To prevent the pastry from getting warm, quickly prepare all the ingredients for the filling, assemble the bundles, and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes, or until the pastry is cool again. Then bake.
- You will only need one 5.3 ounces of asiago cheese for this recipe. However, if you prefer these bundles to be extra cheesy, then simply double the cheese.
- Puff pastry is very delicate, so it’s best to transfer the rolled and cut pastry (on the paper), onto the baking sheet before adding the filling. When ready to assemble your bundles, arrange all your ingredients near the baking sheet to create an assembly line.
- Recipe can be doubled to serve more guests.
- This appetizer recipe yields 8 servings (one bundle per serving). If serving as a more robust part of a meal, we recommend serving two bundles per guest, which would yield 4 larger servings.
- To learn about other variations of this recipe, see the Pimp Our Recipe Section in our Blog Comments & Tips for this recipe on our website!
Nutrition Facts
Calories
220.57Fat (grams)
15.32Sat. Fat (grams)
8.01Carbs (grams)
13.46Fiber (grams)
2.09Net carbs
11.38Sugar (grams)
1.84Protein (grams)
8.18Sodium (milligrams)
299.20Cholesterol (grams)
29.48Nutritional information provided is strictly an estimate and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods. Nutritional calculations are based on one bundle per serving.
Step by Step Instructions
PREPARATION
Organize all your tools and ingredients before you begin. Getting all your ingredients in one place at the beginning will shorten your prep time.
Note: You will only need one 5.3 ounces of Rosemary & Olive Oil Asiago Cheese for this recipe. If you want it extra cheesy, then double the cheese.
STEP 1
Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside.
Thaw 1 sheet frozen puff pastry according to the package directions (about 30 minutes, but no more than 40 minutes) while you prepare the filling.
Filling
STEP 2
Halve 1 large leek lengthwise and rinse. With a sharp chef’s knife, cut off and discard root and dark green stalks, and cut white and light green parts of the leeks into ¼ inch thick slices. Fill a bowl or basin with cool water, add the sliced leeks, and swish them around in the water to thoroughly wash them. With a fine mesh sieve, scoop them out of the water, rinse once more to remove any remaining dirt, and drain.
STEP 3
Heat a 10 inch sauté pan on medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of salted butter, and melt. Add leeks, and sauté for 2 minutes. Add a pinch of kosher salt and a pinch of ground black pepper, and sauté for about 8 minutes until wilted and light golden brown on the edges. Remove leeks, and transfer to a bowl to cool.
STEP 4
Remove tough ends from 1 pound fresh asparagus (cut all the same length, and long enough so the tips and ends just peek out of the bundles), discard ends, and set aside asparagus.
Grate 5.3 ounces Rosemary & Olive Oil Asiago Cheese, place in a bowl, and set aside (see Note below).
Note: You will only need one 5.3 ounces of asiago cheese for this recipe. However, if you prefer these bundles to be extra cheesy, then simply double the cheese.
Assembly
STEP 5
Place the parchment paper from your prepared baking sheet onto your work surface, and lightly dust the paper with flour. Unwrap the thawed sheet of frozen puff pastry, place it onto the dusted paper, roll out until it is doubled in size (about ⅛ inch thick) and cut into 8 rectangles. Lift the parchment paper (with the puff pastry) onto your baking sheet. Arrange all your ingredients near the baking sheet to create an assembly line.
Note: Puff pastry is very delicate, so it’s best to transfer the rolled and cut pastry (on the paper), onto the baking sheet before adding the filling.
STEP 6a
In a small glass bowl, beat together 1 egg and 1 tablespoon water to create an egg wash. With a pastry brush, gently brush each rectangle of puff pastry with egg wash. Evenly divide sautéed leeks and asparagus, place leeks in a diagonal pile across each rectangle, then place asparagus (about 3-5 stalks per bundle) directly on top of the leeks (in the same direction). Sprinkle asparagus with ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt, a pinch of ground black pepper, and 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves.
STEP 6b
Evenly divide and sprinkle shredded Rosemary & Olive Oil Asiago Cheese over asparagus. Lift the left corner of pastry up and over (so it fits snuggly over the filling), and lightly press corner of pastry onto the other side to secure. Lift the right corner of the pastry up and over to secure it onto the left side of the pastry. Brush pastry bundles with egg wash, and refrigerate to chill for at least 30 minutes (or until pastry is chilled) before baking.
STEP 7
Once chilled, bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown and puffed, and serve immediately.
Notes:
This appetizer recipe serves 8 (one bundle per serving), but we recommend serving two bundles per guest (total of 4 servings) if serving as a more robust part of a meal. Recipe can also be doubled to serve more guests.
To learn about other variations of this recipe, see the Pimp Our Recipe Section in our Blog Comments & Tips below!
VIDEO
ASPARAGUS, LEEK & ASIAGO PUFF PASTRY BUNDLES - How to Make this Easy & Elegant Appetizer!
Blog Comments & Tips
A Light & Elegant Appetizer!
Although we say our Asparagus, Leek & Asiago Puff Pastry Bundles are an easy and elegant appetizer to start off your holiday dinner, they are really wonderful any time of year. I first served these during springtime, when asparagus was in season in California.
Served as an appetizer, as a light main course for lunch with a salad, or alongside eggs for a lovely brunch, these puff pastry bundles are really enjoyable. Our asparagus puff pastry bundles are unique in that we added sautéed leeks and rosemary asiago cheese to give them a punch of flavor.
We tried making the traditional style bundles with easy, ready made ingredients, and they were good, but not great. We played around with a few variations of this recipe in the PMR Test Kitchens and felt this was the perfect combination of ingredients. If you are looking for a quicker version of this recipe, without sacrificing too much flavor, then take a look at the Pimp Our Recipe Section below for some ideas.
How do you ensure the best results from our recipe?
Our 3 tips to making our Asparagus, Leek & Asiago Puff Pastry Bundles:
Use organic asparagus and fresh thyme.
Thaw your frozen puff pastry according to the package instructions before rolling out (about 30 minutes). And, don’t let it thaw for more than 40 minutes, otherwise, you will lose the flakiness of the puff pastry as the butter melts in the pastry.
After assembling, place the baking sheet with the bundles into the fridge for a quick chill. 15 to 30 minutes should chill the dough enough to give you a flaky pastry.
Have any dietary preferences that won’t quite work with our recipe? It’s time to customize and Pimp Our Recipe.
Pimp Our Recipe:
Make it Stronger: We love the combination of the Rosemary & Olive Oil Asiago Cheese with the asparagus and leeks. If you prefer something stronger, then replace it with gruyere cheese or any strong cheese that melts easily and combines well with asparagus. You can also add 1 to 2 cloves of minced garlic to the leeks (once leeks are almost cooked) and sauté for about 30 to 60 seconds.
Make it a Meal: Serve two bundles along with a light Arugula Salad for lunch. Or, try serving this alongside scrambled eggs or a simple herb omelette for brunch!
Make it Cheesier: Double the amount of Rosemary & Olive Oil Asiago Cheese (up to 10 ounces). Sprinkle half of the shredded cheese onto the center diagonal of the pastry, then add the leeks, asparagus, S&P, thyme, and remaining half of the shredded cheese over the asparagus.
Make it Milder: Start with omitting the sautéed leeks. Be sure to add a few extra asparagus to each bundle. If you want a milder cheese, then add a slice of Brie cheese or Boursin herb cheese directly onto the pastry. If you prefer to use your favorite mild cheese (like white cheddar, or even Monterey jack cheese), then add the shredded cheese on top of the asparagus. Here are some suggested combinations:
Brie cheese, sautéed leeks, and asparagus.
Boursin cheese, sautéed leeks and garlic, and asparagus.
Pepper jack cheese, and asparagus.
Provolone cheese, prosciutto, and asparagus.
White cheddar cheese (or Monterey jack cheese) and asparagus.
Enjoy and let us know what you think by commenting below, rating our recipes, subscribing, following, and liking us on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube! Don’t forget to subscribe to get updates on new recipes and tips & tricks.
Happy Cooking!
Mich
Footnote: Remember to work quickly so your puff pastry does not get warm.
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