Phyllo Wrapped Asparagus
These are so delicious and fun to eat that I should call this recipe "How I got my husband to eat asparagus" LOL!! Great party appetizers too!
These are so delicious and fun to eat that I should call this recipe "How I got my husband to eat asparagus" LOL!! Great party appetizers too!
- Carbohydrate 18.79534 g
- Cholesterol 32.195 mg
- Fat 14.20347 g
- Fiber 1.04159997367859 g
- Protein 7.06405 g
- Saturated Fat 8.211284 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (74g)
- Sodium 170.215 mg
- Sugar 17.7537400263214 g
- Trans Fat 0.957162000000002 g
- Calories 231 calories
Step-by-step
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil and blanch the asparagus for about 1 minute. Remove from the boiling water and lay on a plate to cool.
- Open the pastry sheets and remove one at a time from the packet. Cut in half and brush lightly with butter. Sprinkle on the grated cheese, a few chilli flakes if using and season with salt and pepper. Lay a spear of asparagus along the edge of the pastry and roll it as tightly as possible. Place on a baking tray, you may need a couple of trays. Brush again with a bit more melted butter. Repeat with the remaining asparagus.
- Place the trays into a 400 degree oven and bake for about 7-10 minutes until golden brown.
Home cooks frequently commit the error of wrapping raw asparagus directly in pastry, which results in tough, fibrous stalks encased in over-browned dough. Asparagus requires direct thermal energy to break down its tough cellulose walls, while phyllo dough browns rapidly at 400 degrees Fahrenheit due to its high surface-area-to-volume ratio. Blanching the spears for precisely one minute initiates thermal softening without leaching vital water-soluble compounds into the liquid, ensuring structural integrity before rolling.
The Chemistry of Crispy Pastry and Savory Fat
Working with paper-thin phyllo sheets demands an understanding of hydration and lipid barriers. Butter consists of approximately eighty percent fat and twenty percent water. Brushing melted butter onto the dough coats each delicate layer in lipids, preventing the moisture released from the asparagus and cheese from prematurely dissolving the starch matrices. As the rolls bake for seven to ten minutes, the water content in the butter vaporizes, creating microscopic steam pockets that force the dough layers apart into distinct, flaky strata.
Asiago cheese introduces glutamic acid and volatile aromatic compounds that undergo Maillard browning when exposed to dry oven heat. The amino acids in the aged cheese react with reducing sugars, producing complex nutty and savory flavor profiles that complement the earthy sulfur compounds inherent in the green vegetable. Brushing the exterior with additional butter guarantees uniform browning across the entire surface area once the edges turn golden brown.
- Thaw frozen phyllo dough overnight in the refrigerator for twelve hours to prevent tearing during unrolling.
- Keep the unwrapped stack covered with a damp kitchen towel to stop the sheets from drying out within minutes.
- Substitute grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano at a one-to-one ratio if Asiago is unavailable.
