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What’s so great about this appetizer is the fact that you can get it completely ready beforehand. If you are anything like me, timing a dinner party is the biggest challenge of hosting, which is why I used to just skip to the main course. Since I’ve reformed, I love anything that can be prepped before and tossed in right before my guests arrive!

Ingredients

• 1 box ready-to-bake puff pastry (2 sheets)
• Flour for work surface
• 75 c. grated Parmesan
• 24 Asparagus spears
• 1 tbsp. Flaky sea salt
• 75 c. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 bay leaf
• 25 tsp. dried thyme

Directions

1. Heat oven to four hundred degrees. Cover two jelly roll pans or cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. Unfold puff pastry sheets. Cut with either a pizza cutter or a sharp knife pastry sheets along their folded seam until you have six rectangles. Lightly dust your surface with a bit of flour and roll them out until they are about an inch to an inch and half longer in length, cut the edges so that you have a straight side only take off about a quarter of an inch, then using your pizza cutter or knife cut into four equal strips.

3. Sprinkle each strip with Parmesan cheese about a half a tablespoon then carefully roll pastry around a spear of asparagus. Be sure to seal seam with your finger or try a little water if it looks like won’t stay closed while cooking. Place on prepped pan seam facing down. Repeat with the rest of your cut pastry strips placing them at least an inch and half or more apart.

4. Spread water over the tops of each pastry and then lightly salt. Bake until pastry darkens to a nice golden.

5. While that is baking heat a small saucepan at medium-high and combine vinegar, sugar, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a slow boil until contents are cut down to about half a cup. Recipes always say it will take anywhere from ten to fifteen minutes but I find it can be closer to twenty, just keep an eye on it. Use a slotted spoon or pour through a mesh colander to strain out herbs and serve still heated alongside your asparagus!

The first time I served these, they were gone in seconds! But still, the next time I made them I added one more step.

Before wrapping the pastry around the asparagus, I placed the spears in a bowl and added a drizzle of olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Then I made sure the spears were fully coated by the small amount of oil by using my hands. Afterward they were a little slicker to the touch, but I was still able to wrap them with the pasty pretty easily. And that little bit of extra effort really gave the asparagus a much richer flavor the second time.

Either way, I hope you decide to serve these the next time you need an easy starter. I promise you will not be sorry!

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Photo Source: 12 Tomatoes