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Cheesy Witches Fingers with Spicy Dip | DonalSkehan.com
  • halloween

Cheesy Witches Fingers with Spicy Dip

October 28

We had great fun making these with our boys as I used their hands as templates to cut out the cheese stuffed puff pastry. The recipe is made all the more macabre if you serve the severed pastry hands with a blood red marinara sauce that is easy to whip up while they are in the oven. The sauce is great mixed through freshly cooked pasta if you have some picky eaters in the house.

  • serves Serves 5
  • time 60mins

Method

  1. 1. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the block of puff pastry to 5 mm thickness. Cut in half and spread one half with dijon mustard, scatter with most of the cheese and sprinkle with a little cayenne pepper. Top with the other half of the pastry and press down lightly. Roll it out so that it is 4-5 mm thick again before chill for 30 minutes.
  2. 2. Heat the oven to 200°C/180˚C fan/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  3. 3. Place your own hand, as a guide, on the puff pastry and cut around the shape of your palm and fingers, elongating the fingers into points to make them extra witchy. You can do this as many times as you can fit it on the pastry or do it once or twice and cut the rest of the pastry into knobbly fingers.
  4. 4. Transfer the hands and fingers to the lined baking sheets.
  5. 5. Brush all over with beaten egg and press a blanched almond onto the tip of each finger to make a nail. With a small sharp knife, score little lines where the finger joints and knuckles would be. Brush again with egg and scatter with the rest of the cheese.
  6. 6. Transfer to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Once baked, allow to cool on a wire rack.
  7. 7. Meanwhile, add all the ingredients for the spicy dip into a saute pan over a medium heat and season with salt & pepper. Stir regularly and allow to simmer for 15 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened. Allow to cool before serving in a bowl alongside a platter of cheesy fingers and hands.

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Ingredients

Plain flour, to dust

17oz block puff pastry

2 tsp dijon mustard

4oz grated cheese, mix of cheddar and gruyere

Good pinch cayenne pepper

1 free range egg, beaten, to glaze

large handful whole blanched almonds

 

For the tomato dip:

12oz chopped tomatoes

Good pinch chilli flakes

2 tsp red wine vinegar

4 tbsp caster sugar 

Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Plain flour, to dust

500g block puff pastry

2 tsp dijon mustard

120g grated cheese, mix of cheddar and gruyere

Good pinch cayenne pepper

1 free range egg, beaten, to glaze

60g whole blanched almonds

 

For the tomato dip:

350g chopped tomatoes

Good pinch chilli flakes

2 tsp red wine vinegar

4 tbsp caster sugar 

Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper