I decided to get fooled again and try out the upside-down puff pastry hack.
The puff pastry on the bottom puffs up elegantly and the ingredients in the middle cook until soft.
The upside-down version builds it in reverse.
The toppings go directly on the sheet tray, and you drape the puff pastry over the toppings.
Egg wash it for aesthetics, and bake.
I made a parmesan, asparagus, and dijon pastry that was true perfection.
I was going for a frico layer.
I topped the green guys with a dab of dijon mustard and a bit more cheese.
In the last picture, there are score marks on the pastry, but this is just decorative.
If youd like, you could do them after the egg wash.
The puff pastry baked-up taller than it would have if it had been on the bottom.
The ingredients werent weighing it down, so it rose untethered.
Visually, this pleased me.
I flipped it over to behold the perfect, toasty-brown frico cap protecting my asparagus spears.
After letting it cool I bit into the shattering applause of a thousand crispy pastry flakes.
It immediately deflates when you bite it, of course.
Thats just the nature of puff pastry, not TikToks fault.
Not appealing and not flavorful.
When it comes time to flip your pastries,use a fish spatula.
The ultra-thin spatula blade will slide under the puff pastry without tearing it up.
If you use your hands, youll likely lose some of your filling.
The following recipe is for the asparagus pastries (they happen to be in season in my area).
And it tastes great paired with a hard boiled egg.
Coat a metal sheet tray with a small amount of oil and spread it around evenly with your fingertips.
Sprinkle about a teaspoonful of parmesan in 6 spots evenly spaced on the sheet tray.
Make them about the same length of your asparagus and puff pastry rectangles.
Top with a pinch of mozzarella.
Nestle 3 or 4 pieces of asparagus on the cheese piles.
Dab the asparagus with a small amount of Dijon, to taste.
I used about a half teaspoon for each pastry.
Top with another pinch of mozzarella.
Let them cool for a couple minutes, and flip them over with a spatula.
