Serve this Cheese & Shallot Puff Pastry Plait with salad, pickles and chutney, or with chips for a more substantial meal.
A Fabulous Festive Veggie Pie Recipe
My recipe for Cheese & Shallot Puff Pastry Plait is so easy and makes a lovely vegetarian centerpiece. However, I can assure you that even staunch meat eaters will love this cheesy puff pastry plait. It would be perfect for the Christmas tea time table, or for a wonderfully comforting supper dish.
As well as being a tasty veggie meal, this Cheese & Shallot Puff Pastry Plait is a lovely all year round recipe that would be perfect for summer picnics and the school or office lunch box as well.
I used mature Comte cheese, which is a delectable hard cheese from France, with a nutty complex flavour. But, mature or vintage Cheddar would work well in this recipe, as would any other hard cheese with attitude!
The plait is finished off with a scattering of sesame seeded and aromatic fennel seeds, which marries so well with the richness of the cheese and shallot filling, and adds an extra crunch to the crust.
Serve this Cheese & Shallot Puff Pastry Plait with salad, pickles and chutney, or with chips for a more substantial meal. It is also fabulous when cut into smaller slices for the festive buffet table.
I used a ready-made and ready rolled puff oblong pastry sheet, which made the whole process of filling the and shaping the plait so easy. You can of course use homemade puff, flaky or rough puff pastry, but shortcrust pastry isn’t advisable as you need a light and airy type of pastry with flaky layers.
I’ve used sweet shallots in the filling, but onions are fine too. Due to the high fat content of the cheesy filling, this is not suitable for freezing, but, it keeps quite well in the fridge for up to 3 days, and it can be reheated in a warm oven. It’s also lovely served at room temperature.
Substitutions and Baking Tips
- Use any regional cheese to taste, such as Cheddar, Wensleydale, Cheshire, Lancashire, Double Gloucester, Red Leicester or Caerphilly cheese.
- Use red onions in place of shallots, or spring onions.
- For a firmer filling, add a tablespoon or 2 of mashed potatoes.
- For added piquancy, add 1/2 teaspoon of English mustard power to the cheese and shallot filling.
- You can add fresh herbs, such as chopped parsley and thyme.
- You can use black onion seeds (Nigella seeds) in place of fennel seeds for a warmer and less aniseed flavour.
I hope you enjoy this Cheese & Shallot Puff Pastry Plait if you make it, and don’t worry if the cheese oozes out of the ends (or sides) of the plait, allow it to cool slightly, and it will harden ready for picking and snacking! I’ll be back with a festive mincemeat recipe, have a wonderful weekend, Karen.
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- Easy Cheesy Puff Pastry Sausage Rolls
- Three Cheese & Apple Puff Pastry Ring
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Recipe for Cheese & Shallot Puff Pastry Plait
Cheese & Shallot Puff Pastry Plait
My recipe for Cheese & Shallot Puff Pastry Plait is so easy and makes a lovely vegetarian centerpiece. However, I can assure you that even staunch meat eaters will love this cheesy puff pastry plait. It would be perfect for the Christmas tea time table, or for a wonderfully comforting supper dish.
As well as being a tasty veggie meal, this is a lovely all year round recipe that would be perfect for summer picnics and the school or office lunch box as well.
I used mature Comte cheese, which is a delectable hard cheese from France, with a nutty complex flavour. But, mature or vintage Cheddar would work well in this recipe, as would any other hard cheese with attitude!
The plait is finished off with a scattering of sesame seeded and aromatic fennel seeds, which marries so well with the richness of the cheese and shallot filling, and adds an extra crunch to the crust.
Serve this Cheese & Shallot Puff Pastry Plait with salad, pickles and chutney, or with chips for a more substantial meal. It is also fabulous when cut into smaller slices for the festive buffet table.
I used a ready-made and ready rolled puff oblong pastry sheet, which made the whole process of filling the and shaping the plait so easy. You can of course use homemade puff, flaky or rough puff pastry, but shortcrust pastry isn't advisable as you need a light and airy type of pastry with flaky layers.
I've used sweet shallots in the filling, but onions are fine too.
Due to the high fat content of the cheesy filling, this is not suitable for freezing, but, it keeps quite well in the fridge for up to 3 days, and it can be reheated in a warm oven. It's also lovely served at room temperature.
Ingredients
- Filling:
- 6 to 8 pink shallots, depending on size, peeled and diced
- 25g butter
- 450g Comte cheese, grated, mature Cheddar cheese, grated
- 2 tablespoons white wine
- 1 egg, beaten
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Pastry:
- 320g ready rolled puff pastry sheet
- 1 egg, beaten
- Fennel seeds
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 200C/180 Fan/400F/Gas mark 6.
- Make the filling: Melt the butter and sauté the shallots over a low heat for about 5 to 8 minutes, until they are cooked and opaque. Add the cheese and wine, and mix well.
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly before adding the beaten egg, and season to taste.
- Place the ready rolled puff pastry and the paper it is wrapped in on a large rectangular baking sheet, or roll out the pastry to a 35 x 30cm rectangle and put on a baking tray lined with baking parchment.
- Spoon the cooled cheese and shallot mixture down the centre of the pastry, leaving 2cm at each end of the pastry and about 5 to 7.5cms on each side of the pastry.
- Cut the pastry on each side of the filling into strips, about 1.2cm thick, like ribbons.
- Then, fold in the ends and then alternate strips of the pastry up and over the cheese filling, crossing over each other neatly, to make a plait.
- Brush the beaten egg over all of the pastry plait, and sprinkle the fennel seeds and sesame seeds over the top.
- Bake in the pre-heated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until the pastry has puffed up and is crisp and golden.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 20 to 30 minutes, before cutting into slices and serving.
Notes
Use any regional cheese to taste, such as Cheddar, Wensleydale, Cheshire, Lancashire, Double Gloucester, Red Leicester or Caerphilly cheese.
Use red onions in place of shallots, or spring onions.
For a firmer filling, add a tablespoon or 2 of mashed potatoes.
For added piquancy, add 1/2 teaspoon of English mustard power to the cheese and shallot filling.
You can add fresh herbs, such as chopped parsley and thyme.
You can use black onion seeds (Nigella seeds) in place of fennel seeds for a warmer and less aniseed flavour.
Nutrition Information
Yield 8 slices Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 361Total Fat 26gSaturated Fat 14gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 119mgSodium 514mgCarbohydrates 10gFiber 2gSugar 4gProtein 21g
Nic | Nic's Adventures & Bakes says
Thanks for sharing, this looks lovely 🙂
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Nic! 🙂