Recipes

Brie and strawberry parcels

These dainty little pastries are great to hand round while warm from the oven, just remember to offer tiny paper napkins for sticky fingers.

Raw filo pastry dries out very quickly so keep the pastry covered until the very last minute. Unfold the sheets, take the top one off to use each time then recover the stack again.

Makes 24
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes

270 g (9 ½ oz) pack of 6 frozen filo pastry sheets, defrosted
225 g (8 oz) Brie, cut into 24 pieces
225 g (8 oz) strawberries, about 12, each thickly sliced into 3
24 mint leaves
75 g (3 oz) butter, melted
Few rocket leaves and extra sliced strawberries to garnish, optional

1) Put one of the filo sheets in front of you and cut into eight rectangles, brush lightly with the melted butter then separate the pieces slightly. Add a second piece to four of the rectangles so that the second layer of pastry is at an angle to the first to make a star shape.
2) Add a piece of brie, a mint leaf and slice of strawberry to the centre of each then fold the edges of the pastry up and over the cheese stack, pinching just above the strawberry to make a little purse shaped parcel. Transfer to a baking sheet.
3) Repeat with the remaining sheets of pastry and filling ingredients. When all the parcels have been shaped brush the outsides with the remaining butter.
4) Bake in a preheated oven 180°C /350°F /Gas Mark 4 for about 10 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes then transfer to a serving plate; garnish with rocket leaves and extra strawberry slices if liked.

Recipe by Lisa Faulkner