In short: Little puff pastry rolls filled with ham, mustard and raclette cheese, sliced into rounds and baked until golden. A hot, crispy bite, perfect for kicking off a raclette night or drinks with friends.
Chef’s tip
Party puff pastry bites have one major flaw: you make thirty, you serve twenty-eight, and the last two mysteriously vanish somewhere between the oven and the living room. The cook swears they saw nothing.
The real secret is cold. Well-chilled puff pastry rolls without tearing and puffs up better when baked. After rolling the dough, put the log in the freezer for 15 minutes: you will cut clean rounds, and the cheese won’t escape onto the baking sheet.
| Prep time | 15 min |
|---|---|
| Cook time | 18 min |
| Total | 33 min |
| Servings | 4 people (adjustable) |
| Difficulty | Very easy |
Ingredients (for 4 people)
- 2 rolls of puff pastry (all-butter if possible)
- 200 g of thinly sliced raclette cheese
- 4 slices of cooked ham
- 2 tablespoons of mustard
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon of sesame or cumin seeds
- Freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
- Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 200 °C (400 °F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Spread the mustard. Unroll the puff pastry and brush it with a thin layer of mustard, leaving 2 cm (3/4 in) free along one edge.
- Fill. Cover the pastry with slices of ham, then slices of raclette cheese, and add a turn of pepper.
- Roll and firm up. Roll the pastry up tightly toward the free edge, then place the log in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm it up.
- Slice. Cut the log into rounds 1.5 cm (1/2 in) thick with a very sharp knife and lay them flat on the baking sheet, spacing them apart.
- Glaze. Brush the rounds with egg yolk beaten with a spoonful of water and sprinkle with sesame or cumin seeds.
- Bake and serve. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the puff pastries are deep golden and puffed up. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
The chef’s tricks
- Choose a raclette cheese that isn’t too fatty, in thin slices: it melts without running out of the pastry.
- These puff pastries can be made ahead: freeze the raw rounds on the baking sheet, then bake them straight from frozen, adding 3 to 4 minutes of baking time.
- Serve them warm rather than scorching hot: the cheese is nicer and nobody burns their palate.
- Keep the pastry scraps: twisted with a little grated cheese, they make little cocktail sticks.
Variations
- Replace the cooked ham with cured ham or dried meat in thin strips.
- Vegetarian version: pan-fried, well-drained mushrooms instead of the ham.
- Add a few diced cornichons or caramelized onions to get the full taste of a raclette.
Which wine to serve?
A dry, lively white wine from Savoie, a crémant or a light blonde beer: the bubbles and acidity go well with the flaky pastry and the cheese.
Frequently asked questions
Can you make the puff pastries the day before?
Yes, roll the log the day before, wrap it in plastic and keep it in the refrigerator. Slice and bake at the last moment.
Why does the cheese leak onto the baking sheet?
The dough was too warm or the rounds too thin. Firm up the log well in the freezer and cut rounds 1.5 cm (1/2 in) thick.
How many puff pastries per person?
With two rolls of pastry, allow about 8 to 10 bites per person for an appetizer.
Read also: Raclette and ham brioche and Mini crêpes on the raclette grill
