This addictive asparagus recipe is the perfect starter to kick off a dinner party with friends.
Tender stems of asparagus are wrapped in flaky filo pastry and sprinkled with parmesan. They're then baked until golden and served alongside a cheat's hollandaise sauce (that tastes so good and no one will even know the difference).
Make sure you use regular asparagus rather than fine spears, so that they hold their shape during cooking and end up being a substantial sized starter.
For more dinner party starter ideas, we've compiled a whole gallery with drool-worthy inspiration.
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Yields:
24
Prep Time:
25 mins
Cook Time:
20 mins
Total Time:
45 mins
Cal/Serv:
110
Ingredients
6
filo pastry sheets, we used Jus-Rol
50g
unsalted butter, melted
24
asparagus spears (see intro), at least 16cm long, woody ends trimmed
15g
Parmesan or vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese, finely grated
Pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
For the cheat's hollandaise dip
125g
butter, chopped
100g
mayonnaise
1tsp.
lemon juice
Directions
Step 1Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. Line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment. Place 1 filo sheet on a board (keep remaining filo covered with a damp tea towel). Brush with a little butter, then top with another filo sheet. Cut into quarters, then slice each rectangle in ½ diagonally to make 8 sloping triangles.
Step 2Working with 1 triangle at a time, with the longest edge closest to you, place an asparagus spear vertically on the left of the long edge. Roll up tightly in the filo. Repeat rolling with 7 more asparagus spears and arrange on a lined baking sheet, seam-down.
Step 3Repeat filo buttering, slicing and rolling to make 24 canapés. Brush with a little more butter and sprinkle the pastry ends with cheese and a pinch of cayenne, if using.
Step 4Cook for 15-18min until the pastry is crisp. Cool for 10min.
Step 5Meanwhile, make the cheat’s hollandaise. Melt butter in a small pan, remove from heat and cool for a few min. In a medium bowl, gradually whisk the melted butter into the mayonnaise. Whisk in the lemon juice, then adjust seasoning with lemon juice, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve with the straws.
Get ahead:
Prepare to end of step 3 up to a day ahead. Cover and chill. Make dip up to a day ahead, cover and chill. To serve, complete recipe, gently warming dip in a pan to loosen.
GH Tip:
For a meaty canapé, cut 12 Parma ham slices in ½ lengthways and place on the filo triangles before rolling up with the asparagus.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
