Parma ham twists

A tasty twist on the classic cheese straw, this make-ahead recipe is great for a Christmas party, Boxing Day party or New Year’s eve…

A tasty twist on the classic cheese straw, this make-ahead recipe is great for a Christmas party, Boxing Day party or New Year’s eve…

Ingredients

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Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each pastry sheet to about 45cm x 35cm.
Brush the pastry sheets with mustard. With the short edges closest to you, cover the halves nearest you with ham, laid with the short edges facing you (to make slicing easier). Sprinkle half the cheese over the ham, then fold the sheets in half, bringing the mustard-covered halves over the cheese/ham-covered halves. Run a rolling pin over each pastry to stick the halves together, then trim the edges to neaten.
Slice each pastry toward you with a sharp knife into 8 strips about 1-1.5cm thick. Twist each strip several times, then put on a baking paper-lined baking sheet.

Brush with a little beaten egg and sprinkle over the extra cheese. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden, risen and crisp. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition: per serving

Once completely cool, store the cooked twists in a sealed container for up to 2 days. Warm through in a hot oven for 2 minutes before serving. To freeze, put the raw twists on baking sheets in the freezer until solid, then transfer to a container between layers of baking paper. Cook from frozen as in step 4.