I think I saw this on Tasty at some point and it looked interesting. One day, I happened to have a bunch of extra bacon (and some puff pastry lying around in the freezer), so I decided to give this a try. I'm generally pretty happy with the result, but I would make one key suggestion -- make sure to get THICK asparagus. Otherwise, the asparagus will overcook by the time the puff pastry cooks. And you do not want an undercooked puff pastry. Great as a party appetizer -- you can prep it in advance and it's super easy to make.
Active Time: 20 min
Total Time: 35 min
> asparagus (12 stalks)
> bacon (4 slices)
> puff pastry (1 sheet)
> egg (1, beaten)
> salt, pepper
1. Slice the puff pastry lengthwise into thin strips (roughly ~1cm or so). Slice the bacon lengthwise into 3 thin strips.
2. Wrap a slice of puff pastry around the asparagus like a helix. Then do the same with the bacon, looping it between the puff pastry slice. Repeat with all of the asparagus.
3. Place the wrapped spears on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Brush them with egg wash, and sprinkle a touch of salt and pepper over the top.
4. Bake in a 400F oven for 18-20 min, or until golden brown and puffed. Serve and enjoy!
> For this application, I highly suggest using THICK spears of asparagus. I purchased my asparagus from Costco, which sells thinner spears. With thinner spears, the asparagus itself will overcook by the time the puff pastry / bacon cooks. The puff pastry cooks in arund 18-20 min or so, and I've found that thicker asparagus is the sweet spot for making sure everything cooks at the same time.
> Puff pastry thaws pretty quickly. I suggest making slices on the puff pastry into thin strips not long after taking them out of the freezer -- it'll be easier and lead to cleaner cuts.
> You may need to adjust your proportions, depending on the specs for your asparagus, bacon, and puff pastry. Ideally, you want to make sure that there's almost full coverage of the surface of the asparagus. If your asparagus is especially large, maybe 1/2 slice of bacon per spear might be more appropriate.