Savory braids with smoked cheese and cooked ham Christmas appetizer, easy and tasty, ideal for those who have little time to dedicate to cooking. Also try with shortcrust pastry as an alternative to classic puff pastry. These braids are very simple to make, they can also be decorated differently, and on the blog, you will find other versions too. Ideal to serve as breadsticks, they will look lovely presented in baskets decorated for the occasion. You only need a few ingredients and a few steps to make it, so it’s really very simple. Below I leave you other recipes to create your Christmas appetizers, while at the bottom the complete recipe with photographic steps.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking methods: Electric Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Christmas
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry (rectangular)
- 5.3 oz cooked ham (sliced)
- 5.3 oz smoked cheese (sliced)
- 1 egg yolk (for brushing)
- to taste sesame seeds
Tools
- 1 Baking tray
- 1 Pastry wheel
- Parchment paper
- 1 Brush
Steps
To make the Savory Braids with Smoked Cheese and Cooked Ham Christmas Appetizer, first unroll a rectangular sheet of puff pastry and divide it in half lengthwise. Layer the base with slices of smoked cheese, slightly overlapping them.
Layer the slices of cooked ham over the cheese
Fold the half without filling over the filled part.
Cut strips of similar width with a knife or a pizza cutter.
Gently twist the strips of puff pastry on themselves. Arrange them on the baking tray covered with parchment paper. If you notice that the puff pastry has softened a bit, before doing this operation, put them in the refrigerator for a few minutes to firm up.
Brush each strip with the egg yolk.
Decorate the surface with sesame seeds and bake in a preheated fan oven at 356°F for 30 minutes or until fully golden.
You can prepare the braids a few hours in advance and keep them in the refrigerator until baking. You can also freeze them raw and then cook them directly, just be mindful of the cooking times. I advise against defrosting in this case.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can I change the filling?
Certainly, try to choose cheeses similar to smoked cheese and soft, fragrant cold cuts. Mortadella will also be fine, then garnish the surface of the braids with chopped pistachios.
