Tea Savory Swirls Recipes -- Boxtree Day, 16th of Rainy, Year 225

[neotoma]

The tea savories were a big hit at wolfshark's stitch-'n'bitch, so here's the recipe:

Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil
1.25 cups finely chopped onion
2 Tbsp Irish Breakfast tea leaves
2-3 Tbsp chicken or vegetable stock
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
8 oz frozen all-butter puff pastry, defrosted according to package directions

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the onions and saute just until golden brown, 6-8 minutes, then scrape them into an electric blender (or into cup for immersion blender). Add the tea, 2 Tbsp of stock, the Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper to taste and puree until smooth, adding more stock if necessary to smooth out the mixture.


2. Lightly flour a work space and rolling pin. Roll the pastry into a 6 x 18-inch rectangle, then brush off any excess flour. Working with the long side horizontal, spread the onion-tea mixture over the rectangle, leaving a 1-inch border at the uppermost edge. Starting at the bottom long edge, roll the pastry jelly-roll fashion, gently pressing the top edge to seal. Carefully wrap in plastic wrap, gently flatting the roll slightly so the spirals are oval-shaped. Refrigerate the pastry on a cookie sheet until firm, at least 2 hours. (This may be done up to 4 days ahead of time).


3. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line 1 or 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.


4. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator. Using a sharp knife (or a bread knife -- I've found that works better), cut the roll crosswise into 3/8-inch slices. Place the slices on the parchment paper, leaving at least 1 inch of space between them.


5. Bake in the middle of the oven until the tops are lightly browned, 11 to 15 minutes. If using 2 pans, rotate the pans during baking for even cooking. Flip each swirl with a spatula and bake until the second side is lightly browned and the centers are cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the pans, slide the swirls onto a rack to cool, and continue until all the swirls are baked. Store in a container with a loose-fitting lid.

Note: Normally, Worcestershire sauce is made from anchovies, as well as vinegar, molasses, sugar, and onions -- if you wish the tea savories to be vegetarian, look for a vegetarian Worcestershire sauce.

From Eat Tea by Joanna Pruess with John Harney.

Comments

[st_aurafina]

Thank you for the recipe - I was really intrigued by your description of these.

[fox]

So at some point between steps 2 and 4 you slice up the rolls - how thin should you cut the slices (how many pieces should this recipe yield)?

[neotoma]

Ugh, I totally skipped the step about cutting the rolled pastry into slices -- it's fixed now. Thank you for bringing that to my attention.

You cut them into 3/8-inch slices -- I've always estimated to about the width of my pinky.