Quick Asparagus, Garlic, & Goat Cheese Puff Pastry Twists
Don’t you just love a simple appetizer or side dish? Yup, me too. Since we’re in full spring now (get it?), all the herbs and more fresh produce are coming up. I knew I wanted to make something that would bring the season to the table while also making it a little fancy feeling (without all the effort).
This recipe is perfect for the beginner baker who needs to bring something delicious. We’re keeping it quick by using store-bought puff pastry (but absolutely use homemade if you have it)! Whether you’re planning a brunch or Easter dinner, these twists are packed with flavor and make for a gorgeous side dish (yes, food can be gorgeous too) for any meal.
If you love this recipe, please rate and review it below and tag @accentgolden in your posts on social!
ASPARAGUS, ROASTED GARLIC, & GOAT CHEESE PUFF PASTRY TWISTS
Made amazing with flaky puff pastry, these twists are a quick way to use a few ingredients while resulting in a treat for many! You simply take rolled out puff pastry (we’re using store-bought for speed!), with a combination of goat cheese, fresh thyme, and roasted garlic spread on top, before being twisted around raw asparagus stalks and sprinkled with flaky sea salt, pepper, and sesame seeds.
They bake to deliciously golden perfection and look super duper fancy. So go make these and impress your people!
Can I use fresh instead of roasted garlic? Yes! For fresh, mince 3-4 cloves and add them to the bowl with your goat cheese, stirring thoroughly to combine. I love the sweet flavor the roasted garlic gives, but if you’re low on your supply, mincing a few cloves works!
INGREDIENTS
- Garlic: We’re roasting the whole head for that delicious garlicky sweetness
- Olive Oil: To roast your garlic and prevent it from burning
- Puff Pastry: Just one sheet of store-bought for that at-home pastry vibe
- Goat Cheese: Gives a creamy, tangy yumminess
- Thyme: Fresh is best for all that flavor
- Salt: Just a dash
- Asparagus: The perfect little trees to twist our pastry around
- Egg: For our egg wash to get that crispy, golden exterior
- Flaky Salt, Pepper, Sesame Seeds: Our finishing toppings that add flavor and crunch
Why do you brush puff pastry with egg wash? Brushing your puff pastry twists with egg wash will result in both a beautiful golden color and an added crisp and shine to your flaky pastry. Additionally, it provides the “sticky” exterior needed for your toppings to hold.
HOW TO MAKE ASPARAGUS, ROASTED GARLIC, & GOAT CHEESE PUFF PASTRY TWISTS
We’re going to roast our garlic first, so get your oven heated to 400°F. Grab your bulb of garlic and cut the head off, just enough to see inside. Place on a piece of foil and drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Wrap your bulb tightly in foil, fully encasing it, and place it on the middle rack of your oven. Bake for 35 minutes – your home will smell delicious – until the cloves feel soft when you slightly squeeze. Set your roasted garlic aside to cool while you prep the rest of your pastry.
Grab your thawed puff pastry from the fridge and place it on a large parchment-lined baking sheet. Lightly roll it out to form an even rectangle (and make it a little bigger). In one bowl, squeeze your cooled roasted garlic and use a fork or spatula to mash it up into a spreadable consistency. In a separate bowl, add your room temperature goat cheese, fresh thyme, and a dash of salt, stirring together to combine.
Spread your goat cheese mixture evenly across your puff pastry, from edge to edge, before smearing your roasted garlic on as well. Use a pizza or pastry cutter to cut 10 even strips and then wrap one strip around your asparagus stalks. Making sure to slightly overly the pastry as you wrap it, so it sticks together as it bakes. Set your twist back on the tray and repeat with the rest of your strips.
In a bowl, beat your egg with a splash of water or milk and brush your egg wash along the tops and sides of each of your twists. Sprinkle each with flaky sea salt, ground pepper, and sesame seeds. Pop them in the oven to bake for 15-20 minutes, they will be puffed and a nice golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave on the tray to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy every bite!
3 reasons you’ll love these puff pastry twists
TIPS & VARIATIONS
- I love the thyme in the goat cheese for these, but feel free to swap for any herb you have on hand! Rosemary or basil would be delicious! Fresh herbs are always best and the most fragrant, but if you only have dry herbs on hand, substitute half the amount of fresh for dry. Also, thyme leaves are small, so they don’t need the be cut, but if you’re using a different herb, give it a quick chop!
- Make sure your goat cheese is softened before using, this will make it easier to spread it into an even layer. Be sure to spread it across the entire surface of your rolled puff pastry, so every strip gets a bite!
- Your amount of asparagus will vary depending on its size. If you have really skinny stalks, like I did, you will want to bunch together two or three before wrapping in the puff pastry. If your stalks are thick, just do one to ensure it cooks evenly.
MAKING AHEAD & STORING
Storebought puff pastry dough is perfect to keep in the freezer! Just remove a sheet the night before you want to bake these, and keep covered on a plate in the fridge to thaw.
These puff pastry twists are best when they’re fresh, but if you have leftovers, store them in a container in the fridge. You can reheat these twists in the oven at 350°F for 5 minutes to bring them back to life.
MORE PUFF PASTRY RECIPES
Store-bought is perfect in a pinch, but making your own pastry at home is easy! One of my favorite uses for puff pastry is these Lady Locks, filled with vanilla cream and inspired by the ones my Grandmother used to make. For a quick and easy treat, try these Mini Cinnamon Swirls!
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Foil
- Pizza or Pastry Cutter
- Spatula
- Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 head of garlic
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 sheet of puff pastry chilled but thawed
- 2 oz goat cheese room temperature
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme
- Dash of salt
- 1-30 asparagus stalks depending on the thickness of stalks
- Egg for egg wash
- Flaky salt for topping
- Pepper for topping
- Sesame seeds for topping
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F
- Cut the top off your head of garlic just enough to see the inside of each clove and place it on a piece of foil. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and wrap tightly in the foil
- Place your wrapped garlic on the middle rack of your oven and bake for 35 minutes, until the cloves feel soft when lightly pressed. Set aside to cool for 10-15 minutes
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and unfold your puff pastry sheet onto it. Lightly roll it out, just to form into an even rectangle
- Squeeze your cooled roasted garlic into a bowl and give it a quick mix to form into a paste
- To a separate bowl, add your goat cheese, thyme, and a dash of salt and smear together
- Gently spread your goat cheese mixture evenly across the puff pastry, and then spread the roasted garlic on top
- Using a pizza cutter or pastry wheel, cut 10 even strips
- Wrap one strip around each asparagus stalk – if your stalks are skinny, bunch together 2-3, leaving some of the top of the asparagus showing, but slightly overlapping the puff pastry as you wrap it
- Lay on your baking sheet an inch apart – if you don’t have space to bake all of them, place half on a parchment-lined plate and pop in the fridge while the first twists bake
- In a bowl, beat your egg with a splash of milk or water and use a pastry brush to brush the tops of the puff pastry. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, pepper, and sesame seeds
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until puffed and a deep golden color
- Let set for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely
- Enjoy!
