Roasted Asparagus Croissants with Parmesan
Roasted Asparagus Croissants with Parmesan: So delicious
Eight of these little beauties make a wonderful meat-free dinner for the two of us. The combination of the roasted asparagus and the light croissant, with the tang of Parmesan cheese is just, well, wow.
They're really easy to make too and great as an appetizer or side dish. We love to use lots of garlic too. Give these a try - they are so good. What's more, this recipe is so easy.
Ingredients
- 16 asparagus spears
- I tube croissant dough
- Olive oil (about a tablespoon)
- 1 clove garlic (or more if you prefer), sliced or crushed
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Cheese sauce:
- 2 oz. hard cheese - such as Cheddar - shredded
- 1 teaspoon flour
- Half cup milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Pour the olive oil into baking tin or a skillet - something that you can use on the stove top later. Add the sliced garlic and some black pepper. Do not heat.
- Trim the asparagus and cut to about six inches in length (I keep the offcuts to make soup). Add the asparagus (in one layer if possible) and agitate the pan so that they are covered in the oil. Set aside for the flavours to mingle. If you can leave this for at least ten minutes, so much the better.
- Divide the dough into eight triangles - they will already be perforated - and add two asparagus spears on top of each at the long edge, top to tail. Sprinkle each with a little of the olive oil / garlic / black pepper marinade but be sure to keep some in the pan. Roll up the dough to form croissants, place on a baking sheet and bake for about fifteen minutes or until the dough is golden.
- Sprinkle with Parmesan and return the croissants to the oven whilst you prepare the sauce. The croissants will need about twenty minutes oven time in total.
- Heat the pan containing the olive oil marinade and when the oil is warm, add the flour and stir for one minute. Add the milk stirring continuously until the milk thickens. Add the shredded cheese ans stir well until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
- Serve the croissants hot from the oven, each topped with a spoonful of cheese sauce.
Suggested kitchen helpers
I love the pan that's shown here. We've had ours for several years and it's as good as new.
The asparagus pan is a luxury that I received as a gift. A friend,knowing how much we love this vegetable, bought it for us. He was so right because we use this so often. It has many other uses too - it's great for cooking pasta or ears of corn for example.
Such a useful recipe
Once you've tried these delicious croissants, you'll want to make them often. I do. Although they make an excellent dinner for the two of us - we don't eat meat or fish - they are also lovely to serve on the side, along with an Italian pasta dish for example.
They are also popular with guests when I've served them as an appetiser. When I'm entertaining a crowd, they are lovely to include as part of a buffet, served hot or cold.
You can do some of the preparation in advance. The asparagus can be placed in the marinade and then kept in the fridge until you're ready to prepare the croissants.
It's a lovely idea to pop these into the oven whilst your guests are having their aperitifs. As they do, they'll be treated to the wonderful smell of fresh baking.
I make these when asparagus is at its cheapest in the shops but it's a lovely way of making this magnificent vegetable go a little further.
© 2014 Jackie Jackson
