Blue-Cheese Palmiers

Palmiers, also called palm leaves, are a crispy delicacy of puff pastry dough sprinkled with granulated sugar, folded and rolled several times, then cut into strips.

Makes 24 to 30 appetizers

8 oz (225 g) puff pastry (thawed if frozen)
100 g (1/4 lb) pkg blue cheese, chopped or crumbled finely
1/4 cup (60 mL) Parmesan cheese, grated
Beaten egg
Sesame seeds

Roll out pastry to a rectangle 8 by 12 inches (20 cm by 30 cm). With pastry lengthwise on the work surface, scatter half the crumbled blue cheese over two-thirds of the pastry -- a section 8 inches (20 cm ) square. Fold over final third to cover half the cheese-topped pastry and press down evenly.

With fingertips, press cheese into other third and fold over to create a rectangle 8 by 4 inches (20 by 10 cm).

Press edges together with rolling pin and roll to an 8-inch (20-cm) square, cut in half. Mix remaining blue cheese with the Parmesan and divide into 4.

Scatter a quarter of the cheese over each strip of pastry, press into pastry with fingers and fold each end into centre. Repeat this with remaining cheese, folding in ends again, press along each pastry double "roll" with the rolling pin and finally fold or push the sides together so you end up with 2 rolls of pastry-enveloped cheese.

Wrap each roll in plastic wrap; chill. Preheat oven to 425 F (215 C).

To bake, slice each roll into 12 to 15 slices, lay on a baking sheet and brush with beaten egg, scatter with sesame seeds and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown.