Cheesy Asparagus & Salami Puff Pastry Bundles

These Puff Pastry Bundles are filled with grilled asparagus, salami, smoked gouda, & garlic herb cheese spread and topped with Smoked Sea Salt Flakes. They are such an easy and elegant appetizer, brunch dish, or perfect for meal prep! 

So are you a ‘bulk‘ shopper? Meaning no one really needs a 4lb bag of fresh asparagus but when you’re at one of those warehouse stores and you see it for super cheap, you tend to buy one (or three if you’re me). You’d think for how much I spend on groceries I’d have 14 kids and am feeding my neighborhood.

But that’s the life of a Chef and food blogger. I’m that person that will do a one-and-done recipe. Meaning I never make a recipe once and then post it. Oh no, the Engineer in me would force me to lose my mind. It’s all about repeatable quality and ensuring that the measurements, times, temps, etc are correct. I’m going through a recipe 5-10 times before I deem it worthy enough to post. However it’s not just about recipes, it’s also about the products I use, like Faltsalt.

I. LOVE. FALKSALT! Seriously, I’ve been using their products for years. Their Crystal Flakes are these beautiful little flakes of natural sea salt that finish a dish (even chocolate chip cookies – trust me on this!) perfectly!

So what does this salt have to do with 4 pounds of asparagus? EVERYTHING! You see I had a ton of asparagus to use in a variety of recipes that I’m testing out. What I found was that every time I used the asparagus in a different recipe that I tended to use/finish it with the falksalt flakes.  

I had posted a bunch of pics on Instagram tagging them and we started to chat about their other salts – Smoked, Black, Chipotle, Citron, Wild Garlic, Wild Mushroom, and so forth. Those chats and their other salts are what made this recipe happen.

I was down to my last couple of pounds or so of pencil asparagus and I was just going to grill some up for a snack. Instead of finishing it with the regular flavor, I finished it with the smoke, and OH MY GOD! Seriously, it was next level! Immediately I knew I had to use that smoked salt in an appetizer recipe.

Trust me on this, you’re going to want to make this!

Grab your Ingredients

 

Most of these can be found in your local grocery store. The Falksalt I order off of Amazon.

• Thawed Puff Pastry
• Grilled asparagus (pencil thickness is best)
• Assorted salami
• Garlic & Herb cheese spread
• Smoked gouda
• Egg
• Falksalt Smoke Salt Flakes

If you want substitutions, never fear!  I’ll cover those lower down in the post.

What is Falksalt?

Well, aside from being amazing and a Chef’s secret ingredient, they are one of the oldest brands in Sweden. They’ve been around since 1928 and, after one taste, you’ll understand why. It’s 100% natural from the Mediterranean sea. And it’s truly, truly versatile!

It’s not used as a kosher or iodized salt replacement say in a cookie recipe but rather you use it either to marinate fish, meats, vegetables, etc, or as a finishing salt. FYI.. their Wild Mushroom one as a finishing salt on focaccia prior to baking – EPIC!

Let’s Make This Recipe!

This recipe is super simple to make and honestly is really customizable.

1. Unroll your puff pastry, leaving it on the sheet, and gently flatten it out.
2. Cut it into 6 squares/boxes. If you want bigger, go with 4 but even when it’s at 6 per sheet, one is pretty filling.

3. Take a couple of slices of salami (or preferred deli meat) and place them overlapping slightly into each square.
4. Next, add on a good schmear of that garlic & herb cream cheese spread you can find in the grocery store. Or you can also use regular cream cheese or another cheese spread flavor if desired.
5. Top with a few pieces of grilled asparagus and the smoked gouda.

Do I have to grill the asparagus?

The answer is no as it’s a personal preference. I am not a fan of super hard/raw-ish asparagus. I grill mine until they are a little pliable but have some crispness to them.

If you put them in raw they will not be fully cooked when the puff pastry is done. I do list in the recipe card how you can oven roast them or blanch them first.

I just wouldn’t recommend using the large tree-trunk-sized stalks of asparagus. Well okay, you can but ONLY if they are cooked/partially cooked.

It’s Time To Get Cozy!

As you can see in the recipe card, I do mention lining a rimmed baking sheet with parchment as that’s what you’re going to cook these on.

1. Lift two opposite corners of the puff pastry squares up and over one another, sealing it around the filling. Pinch/press to seal the two corners together.
2. Place each sealed bundle on the baking sheet. You’ll want to leave some space in between each as the puff pastry will um.. puff up.

Egg Wash

The key to getting these bundles GBD (Golden Brown & Delicious), is to brush them with an egg wash.

1. Whisk together an egg until frothy (no need for water/milk).
2. Using a pastry brush, brush the pastry all over.

The Finishing Touch

…and THIS my friends is what is going to set these bundles apart from any other bundle you’ve had before. The salt!

1. While the egg wash is still wet, sprinkle each bundle with a pinch of the Falksalt Smoke Salt Flakes
2. Pop the tray into the oven and bake until the pastry is golden brown and puffed.

Baked to perfection

Folks when I opened up my oven to pull the tray out, I was immediately hit with the smell of warm smoke from the salt and bread. It was absolute heaven!

Once these are done, you can serve immediately or carefully remove them from the baking pan and place them on a cooling rack to cool. When you make bread or anything with dough, you should never let it rest on the tray/pan as the bottom can tend to get soggy. And let’s be real here – no one loves a soggy bottom.

Recipe Substitutions

Seriously, I so look forward to this part of the recipe post!

• Puff Pastry – well you kind of need to use this as you need the puff however in a pinch you can use crescent roll dough.
• Meats – Instead of salami, pretty much any deli meat is fair game.
• Cheese – not a smoked gouda fan? Go with cheddar, Havarti, brie, pepper jack.
• Vegetables – try roasted red peppers or grilled mushrooms (not raw as they are too watery)
• Falksalt – Go with a different flavor. Try the Rosemary with Chicken or Turkey

The Perfect Make-Ahead Recipe!

Having a party but don’t want to wait until the last minute to assemble and bake? Prep them the day prior and store them in the fridge! Bake them up the day of the party.

Bake ahead – leftovers can be reheated at 350F for about 10 minutes or until warm.

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