These homemade gruyere cheese twists are savory, peppery, slightly smoky, and an impressive appetizer that’s incredibly quick and easy to make, especially for the holidays.
I’ve probably written it many times before, but I think my favorite type of meal might just be snacks. Hummus and pita chips, cheese and crackers, charcuterie boards, I could eat these things for breakfast, lunch and dinner. My family is the same; while there’s always incredibly delicious main courses at every holiday dinner, we almost always all fill up on antipasto. These gruyere cheese twists are my attempt at a homemade version of one of my favorite snacks or antipasto additions, the cheese twist. And while not exactly the same as the ones you buy in the box, they are every bit as savory, crispy and buttery. They are perfect for a charcuterie board or antipasto platter, and best of all they’re impressive but so easy to make. You’ll have them whipped up in a breeze and your family and friends won’t know how little work they actually took.
APPETIZER IN A BREEZE
They may look super impressive, but these gruyere cheese twists are literally as easy as making a sandwich. It’s easiest to use frozen puff pastry, defrosted in the fridge overnight, so that you can skip the labor intensive process of making homemade dough. Puff pastry is buttery and flaky, giving the cheese twists their signature crispiness. To get all that cheese flavor twisted in, you make a sandwich of cheese and pastry: a layer of egg washed puff pastry topped with cheese and spices, followed by a second layer of egg washed puff pastry, then more cheese and spices. Then you squash this whole mess down with a rolling pin, cut it into strips, twist them and bake.
PUT YOUR OWN “TWIST” ON THEM
This homemade cheese twist recipe is simple enough that you can make endless variations on it. Gruyere cheese is my personal favorite because it’s nutty and deeply savory, but this recipe would be just as delicious made using any hard cheese. And while I think that lots of black pepper and a bit of smoked paprika offset the salt of the cheese (and bring a beautiful color to the twists), you can season them how you like. Adding a bit of caramelized onion would give a french onion vibe, or pairing dried figs and parmesan would make for the perfect sweet-savory bite. Just keep your ingredients simple and chop them very finely to keep them wrapped in the twist and evenly distributed.
Homemade Gruyere Cheese Twists
Equipment
- parchment paper or silicone baking mat
Ingredients
- 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, defrosted in the fridge overnight
- 8 oz shredded gruyere cheese
- 1 egg yolk, beaten
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- flour, for dusting
- sprinkle of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 with racks placed in upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Dust your work surface with flour. Unroll one sheet of puff pastry. Brush with egg yolk wash and spread with an even layer of half the grated cheese. Sprinkle with salt, half the pepper and smoked paprika.
- Carefully unroll the other sheet of puff pastry and place on top, lining up the edges. Brush with egg yolk wash and spread with remaining cheese, pepper and smoked paprika.
- Dust a rolling pin with flour. Roll over the top of the pastry, pushing the cheese down into the dough and rolling until the pastry is 1/4 inch thick.
- Using a sharp knife, cut your pastry rectangle into 1/2 inch wide strips. Working one at a time, gently transfer each strip to the baking sheet. Twist the two ends in opposite directions to create twists. Repeat with remaining pastry strips.
- Bake the cheese twists, rotating the pans halfway through, until browned and crispy, 20-22 minutes. Let cool completely before serving.
Leave a Reply