If you’re having a new years party and want to bake some treats yourself but don’t want to spend hours slaving away in the kitchen, check out this tutorial for creating impressive star-shaped tarts in super-fast time.
- Grab yourself a pack of ready-made puff pastry. Use the ready-rolled kind, or roll out your pastry to the thickness of a 1 pound coin
- Cut the pastry into small squares approx 3 inches x 3 inches. Make a cut into the square at each corner but not all the way to the centre
- In the centre space add a teaspoon of your filling – jam, apple sauce or mincemeat for a sweet treat or a cream-cheese & chive mixture or pesto & sundried tomatoes.
- Fold in alternate corners and squeeze together in the centre.
- Brush with a little milk and sprinkle a little sugar or parmesan onto the arms of the star.
- Bake according to the instructions on the pack until puffy and golden-brown.
When I’ve had visitors over the Christmas period I’ve often popped into the kitchen to make a cuppa for my guests and am able to rustle up some of these puff-pastry stars while the kettle boils – then they only take a few mins in a hot oven. And my friends always get a nice warm mince-pie with their drink, so they are very happy!
Assembling these tarts only takes a couple of minutes, but the result is very impressive and you can easily make a big batch of these pretty stars in advance for your new years eve party, keep them in the fridge and then pop them in the oven when you’re ready to eat. Let me know how you get on, and I hope you have a great new years party!
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