This makes a great budget-friendly vegetarian option for Christmas Day. Sweet pears and honey cut through the saltiness of the blue cheese wonderfully.
This decadent dish is a perfect vegetarian option for a meat-free alternative this Christmas Day! Blue cheese and pear is topped with honey and walnuts and then wrapped in puff pastry and baked until golden and moreish.
You can make this recipe in advance (up to step 3) and we've also saved time by using store-bought puff pastry, too!
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Yields:
2 serving(s)
Prep Time:
25 mins
Cook Time:
40 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 5 mins
Cal/Serv:
942
Ingredients
320g
ready rolled puff pastry sheet
1Tbsp.
Dijon mustard
1/2Tbsp.
runny honey
4
thyme sprigs, leaves picked and roughly chopped
finely grated zest 1/2 lemon
175g
firm pears, cores removed, we used Green Williams
75g
blue cheese, crumbled
25g
walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
1
medium egg, lightly beaten
Directions
Step 1Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment. Unroll the pastry sheet with a long edge nearest you and cut pastry into 3 equal pieces, each roughly 12cm wide. Transfer 1 pastry strip to the prepared baking sheet and spread the mustard over the pastry, leaving a 1cm border around the edge. Spread the honey in an even layer over the mustard, and sprinkle over the chopped thyme and lemon zest.
Step 2Cut the cored pears into 3mm rounds and arrange the slices over the mustard and honey, slightly overlapping. Sprinkle over the blue cheese and walnuts. Lightly brush the pastry border around the filling with some egg and lay over a second piece of the pastry. Gently press pastry edges to seal and brush the top with more egg.
Step 3Using a small sharp knife, cut 3cm slits at an angle all over the remaining piece of pastry. Gently pull the corners of the pastry to reveal lots of oval-shaped holes. Lay this piece of pastry on top of the strudel. Trim excess pastry and crimp pastry edges with a fork to seal. Chill for 30min.
Step 4Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. Brush the top of the strudel with more egg and cook in the oven for 40min, until risen and golden. Serve in slices.
Get ahead
Prepare to end of step 3 up to a day ahead. Cover and chill. Complete recipe to serve.
Grace is Good Housekeeping’s Senior Cookery Writer, serving up delicious food and drink content. Grace was trained at Leiths Cookery School and worked as a chef in some of London’s most exciting restaurants before starting at Good Housekeeping. When she isn’t eating and drinking her way through London's restaurants, you’ll find her attending music gigs and binge-watching the newest TV shows.
