It isn’t a New Year’s Eve party unless there are some canapés on offer! Besides, New Year is the last few days where it is still acceptable to eat all things butter, sugar, pastry and drink all things alcoholic before the new year, new you diet kicks in and it is back to work! These Stilton and Walnut vol-au-vents are the perfect treat to end the year with. I particularly like serving these at a NYE party because they use up leftovers. So many of us have a bit of leftover stilton that has now crept to the back of the fridge, or some leftover walnuts that have been stuffed under a load of tins in the cupboard since you hopefully made my delicious Caramelised Onion, Parmesan and Walnut Roasted Brussel Sprouts! These little flaky, buttery puff pastry squares can be topped with anything. And if you don’t have any stilton leftover you can use any other type of blue cheese or even replace with some goats cheese. Most soft cheeses will work well.
I don’t make my own puff pastry. I find it a bit of nuisance to be honest and you can easily buy ready rolled puff pastry in the shops. Buying it means you are less stressed in the kitchen and you only need a short amount of time to whip up some delicious vol-au-vents for a party or when you have guests over. The stilton and walnuts work really well together and provide that last bit of taste of Christmas and indulgence before the new year sets in!
- 1 roll ready prepared puff pastry (around 500g)
- 70g walnuts (crushed)
- 70g stilton (crumbled)
- 1 egg (beaten)
- Black pepper
- Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
- Roll out the puff pastry and cut into around 30 6cm squares. Lay the squares on a baking sheet on a baking tray and then lightly brush them with the beaten egg.
- Top the middle of each square with a pinch of stilton and a pinch of crushed walnuts. The stilton will melt and spread out slightly once cooking.
- Place in the oven for around 15 mins or until golden and puff.
- Leave to cool before serving.
Leave a Reply