Cheese & Bacon Turnovers

 

I saw a similar recipe to this on a blog called Krumpli  the other day.  It looked like a very simple and tasty recipe and so I bookmarked it.

My mother used to make us a snack of melted cheese and bacon on toast when I was growing up and that is a snack that I also made occasionally for my children.  It was something we all loved.

When I saw this puff pastry bake I immediately thought that it was something that I wanted to try. Not only did it look very easy and quick to make, but it used things that I always have in my larder, freezer, fridge!

It was touted as a recipe for two people, but I can't see anyone but the heartiest of eaters eating any more than one of these at a time. It made four delicious bakes.

I did not use Branston's pickle as the original one did. I felt that it would be too difficult for my readers to procure and so I chose to use a grainy mustard instead.

The guy on the other blog did not pre-cook his bacon either. I was concerned that the bacon wouldn't cook enough in the time allotted, and that it would leach too much fat into the pastry and so I partially pre-cooked mine, draining it on some paper towels before using it.

I was really pleased with hot they turned out!  The pastry was crisp and buttery. The filling was not overly greasy either.  It was a beautiful combination of flavors that I think you would also really enjoy. As a snack on a game night or as a simple supper/lunch alongside a bowl or a cup of soup, these are sure to go down a real treat!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CHEESE & BACON TURNOVERS

There is nothing complicated about the ingredients needed for these simple and delicious puff pastry bakes. These are destined to become a family favorite, I guarantee!

• 1 sheet of ready rolled all-butter puff pastry (mine is 10 inches square)
• 8 rashers of streaky bacon, semi-cooked
• 1 cup (100g) grated strong cheddar cheese
• 4 heaped tsp of good quality grainy mustard
• beaten egg yolk to brush (optional) (add 1/2 tsp of water to the yolk before beating)
• Additional grated strong cheddar cheese to sprinkle (about 4 TBS)
• coarsely grated black pepper (optional)

 

Here in Canada I use the PC brand all butter frozen puff pastry.  It comes with two individually wrapped rolls of pastry in the package, each one being approximately 10 inches square. You willed only one sheet for this recipe. Keep the other sheet frozen for another use. The brand I would recommend to use in the U.K. is JusRol.

I used a locally produced grainy mustard which is made in Prince Edward Island. Atlantic Mustard Mill. Today I used the apple one as the flavor of apples goes very well with both bacon and with cheese.  You can use any kind of grainy mustard which you enjoy.

The original recipe uses tiny dice Branston Pickle, but I wanted to use something which was more readily available to cooks here in North America. Branston Pickle also goes very well with cheese.

I cook my bacon a pound at a time in the oven (16 minutes at 375*F/190*C) I don't cook it until it is crisp. Once done and drained I freeze it so that I always have cooked bacon ready to use in recipes like this one.  Because it is only semi-cooked, it doesn't get overly cooked in the recipes I choose to use it in.

Use a good, well-flavored cheddar cheese. I used Balderson's sharp white cheddar today. Grate it yourself if possible.

I did not use the egg yolk glaze, but I did grate some black pepper over top when they came out of the oven.

 

HOW TO MAKE CHEESE & BACON TURNOVERS

These only look complicated. They are really very easy and simple to make, not to mention delicious!

Get your bacon ready. You will only need it to be partially cooked as it will finish cooking in the oven. Set the bacon aside to cool.

Grate the cheese.

Preheat the oven to 425*F/220*C/ gas mark 7. Line a baking tray with some baking parchment.

Using a pizza cutter, cut the pastry into four equally sized squares and place them onto the lined baking tray in a diagonal diamond formation.

 

Spoon one tsp of mustard down the center of each piece of pastry. Top with 1/4 of the cheese and then 2 rashers of bacon. Do this for each piece.

Bring the two side corners up and over the bacon and cheese to cover, pinching them tightly closed. If you are using an egg wash, apply it now.

 

Sprinkle the additional cheddar cheese over the pastry.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until well risen and golden brown. If desired, you can grate some black pepper coarsely over top.

Leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving. A hot cup of soup goes very well with this.

 

These reminded me very much of the old cheese and bacon toasts that my mother used to make when I was a child, albeit a bit more sophisticated than her bakes.

Beautiful crisp and golden-brown pastry with grainy mustard and plenty of cheese and bacon. This went down a real treat with a hot cup of tomato vegetable soup!

  

Puff pastry, the all-butter variety, is something I always have in my freezer.  I am never far from being able to bake something delicious using it.  Here are a few other delicious savory bakes to use it in!

CHEESE AND ONION BAKE (GREGG'S COPYCAT) - Cheese and Onion are a real favorite British flavor combination and no small wonder. It is a delicious combo. Gregg's is a very popular bake shop in the U.K. These Cheese and Onion Bakes are one of their most popular menu items. This is a delicious copycat of those bakes which tastes even better, in my opinion!

FLAKY WIENER ROLLS - Adapted from a recipe in Ina Garten's book, Go To Dinners.  This is very similar to something my mother always made us when we were growing up. If wiener rolls were on the menu, we were all very happy campers. Wieners encased in pastry and baked until golden brown. My mother's were not very different from Ina's. Mom used short crust pastry and spread the pastry with mustard before rolling the pastry up to encase the wieners.  This recipe uses puff pastry.

Yield: 4 Turnovers

Author: Marie Rayner

Cheese & Bacon Turnovers

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 24 MinInactive time: 5 MinTotal time: 39 Min

Crisp, flaky and filled with plenty of cheese and streaky bacon. These go down well with a hot mug of soup. Very easily made, they are also incredibly delicious!

Ingredients

• 1 sheet of ready rolled all-butter puff pastry (mine is 10 inches square)
• 8 rashers of streaky bacon, semi-cooked
• 1 cup (100g) grated strong cheddar cheese
• 4 heaped tsp of good quality grainy mustard
• beaten egg yolk to brush (optional) (add 1/2 tsp of water to the yolk before beating)
• Additional grated strong cheddar cheese to sprinkle (about 4 TBS)
• coarsely grated black pepper (optional)

Instructions

1. Get your bacon ready. You will only need it to be partially cooked as it will finish cooking in the oven. Set the bacon aside to cool.
2. Grate the cheese.
3. Preheat the oven to 425*F/220*C/ gas mark 7. Line a baking tray with some baking parchment.
4. Using a pizza cutter, cut the pastry into four equally sized squares and place them onto the lined baking tray in a diagonal diamond formation.
5. Spoon one tsp of the mustard down the center of each piece of pastry. Top with 1/4 of the cheese and then 2 rashers of bacon. Do this for each piece.
6. Bring the two side corners up and over the bacon and cheese to cover, pinching them tightly closed. If you are using an egg wash, apply it now.
7. Sprinkle the additional cheddar cheese over the pastry.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until well risen and golden brown. If desired, you can grate some black pepper coarsely over top.
9. Leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving. A hot cup of soup goes very well with this.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it #TheEnglishKitchen

Thanks for visiting! Do come again!! 

 If you like what you see here, why not consider signing up for my newsletter and/or subscribing/following me on Grow. You can also bookmark my recipes via the Grow platform. Check out the heart on the right hand side of the screen.

Also, if you have not checked out my YouTube Channel yet, do give it a gander. I would really appreciate it, and if you want to subscribe that would be even more appreciated!  Thank you so much!  It is not really fancy like some people's channels. I am very much learning as I go along, but what you get is authentic at least! There is nothing fake there! No filters, bells or whistles. Filmed in real time and unedited!