Garlic spread, ham, Emmental cheese, and fresh cucumber create a delicious base, complemented by golden puff pastry stars. These elegant bites are perfect for the Christmas or New Year’s table and impress with their combination of creamy, juicy, and crispy layers.
The preparation is simple, and you can make each component ahead of time. Just roll out the puff pastry, cut out the shapes, and bake them, while the spread only needs to be mixed together. If you want to change things up, you can swap the ham for salami or use a different type of cheese.
What You’ll Need
For the garlic spread:
- 100 g spreadable butter or cream cheese,
- 2–3 cloves of garlic, to taste,
- a pinch of salt,
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, optional for a creamier texture.
For the stars, layering, and finishing:
- ham, sliced thinly,
- Emmental cheese, cut into squares,
- cucumber, sliced into rounds,
- puff pastry, store-bought or homemade,
- egg for brushing the pastry,
- sesame seeds for sprinkling.
The original recipe does not specify exact amounts for the layering ingredients, so adjust them according to how many bites you plan to make.
Step-by-Step Instructions:
1. Prepare the oven and baking tray: Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Have a star-shaped cutter ready to create the festive tops for your bites.
2. Cut out the stars: Roll out the puff pastry to a thin sheet about 3–4 mm thick. Use the cutter to cut out individual stars and gently transfer them to the prepared tray, keeping their shape intact.
3. Brush and bake: Beat the egg and brush it over the surface of all the stars. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake in the preheated oven at 180°C for about 10–12 minutes, until golden and crispy. Let them cool completely.
4. Make the garlic spread: Place the spreadable butter or cream cheese in a bowl, add pressed garlic and a pinch of salt. For a milder, creamier spread, mix in a tablespoon of mayonnaise to taste. Stir everything well and let it sit for a while.
5. Slice the ingredients: Cut the Emmental cheese into small squares and the cucumber into rounds. Fold the thin slices of ham into squares roughly the same size as the cheese pieces.
6. Assemble the bites: Place a spoonful of garlic spread on each cucumber round. Top with a folded slice of ham and a square of Emmental. Stack the layers neatly so the finished bites hold together and are easy to serve.
7. Finish with a star: Place a cooled puff pastry star on top of each bite. Secure the whole bite with a skewer or toothpick so it stays together when transferring to a platter.
8. Serving: Arrange the finished bites on a platter and serve. They taste best fresh, when the puff pastry is still golden and crispy, providing a nice contrast to the creamy spread and juicy cucumber.
How to Keep the Stars Crunchy
Let the baked stars cool before assembling. It’s best to finish the bites just before serving, as the original recipe recommends serving them fresh. This way, the puff pastry stays crispy.
Easy Variations
You can swap the ham for salami and use a different cheese instead of Emmental. The basic layering stays the same: a cucumber round topped with garlic spread, deli meat, cheese, and a baked star.
Final Tip
When assembling, choose ham and cheese pieces that match the size of the cucumber rounds. This makes the bites look neater and the skewer or toothpick can easily go through all the layers. Thanks to the puff pastry stars, these bites are especially suited for festive occasions like Christmas and New Year’s gatherings.
