A similar pastry that was sold in a local bakery used to be our family favorite, growing up in Sri Lanka. I was into cooking as a teenager but not into any serious baking. So I never attempted this at home until I moved out of the country eventually, because I started missing those flavors.

Even then I used store-bought pastry! Who has the time to make their own puff pastry right?! that’s what I thought and with a demanding full-time job in tech that was valid at the time. I didn’t know how good homemade puff was until I finally whipped up a batch much later! Moral of the story…make you own puff whenever you can. Laminated or rough puff, whichever method you want to use is fine. Use your favorite butter and see the difference.

If you must use store bought, use a good quality real butter puff, sold under a reliable brand or your trusted local bakery that sells pre-made puff.

About puff pastry

Follow this blog post to make your own puff pastry.

If you are using store bought frozen puff sheets, let the puff thaw in the fridge for 8-12 hours prior to starting this recipe. If you are making your own puff, it is best to start a day earlier so your pastry has plenty of time to rest before being formed in to mini bites.

The filling

These are called egg bites so yes eggs are a must. But feel free to stuff with cooked chicken, fish or tuna. For a vegan or vegetarian twist, you can use sautéed asparagus, mushrooms etc. you get my point. Be creative with the filling and experiment.

Caramelized onions is what makes this for me. It is very simple, just thinly slice a big onion, white or purple. Fry on low heat with some oil and sugar until golden. Add salt to taste. You can add chili, some cinnamon, cloves & cardamom too.

I used fresh thyme cos it’s my favorite fresh herb, feel free to change it. I also used some cheese (sharp cheddar) and I guess I don’t need to justify that! LOL Any melty cheese would be good.

A Little mustard for the acidity and to round it all up!

Lets see how these are made! Have the filling ready and cooled down before you start.

Reminder: frozen puff has to thaw. Best is to thaw overnight in the fridge.

start by pre-heating the oven to 425 °F

Roll out the puff sheet to a rectangle of about 20cm by 32cm roughly. Length and width does not have to be exact, just make sure the thickness is about 2-3mm.

Make sure the bench is well floured. Once rolled out, cut in to 16 equal stripes. Check next image.

Use a sharp knife and use a light dusting of flour to stop pieces from sticking to each other. If they become too soft, place in the fridge for about 10 minutes

Place a piece of egg, smear of mustard, some caramelized onions, herbs and top with the cheese.

Wrap and overlap the two ends, stick with egg wash

Place on a tray seem side facing down

Egg wash and bake!

I baked for 20 minutes and rotated the tray and gave another 10 with oven off (residual heat). They are ready, when the tops are golden brown evenly all across.

Leave to cool. Serve slightly warm!