These puff pastry turnovers with asparagus and prosciutto have brought us straight to brunch heaven

I haven’t yet met a vegetable that didn’t taste better with the help of a good cheese (or two) — and that’s certainly the case with these easy asparagus turnovers. The fresh, crisp taste of asparagus is perfectly accompanied by the saltiness of prosciutto and parmesan, and the creaminess of mascarpone cheese, leaving you with an irresistible addition to any breakfast, brunch or appetizer platter. To really elevate the flavour of these turnovers, I recommend using a quality Italian prosciutto and thin spears of asparagus. Thinner asparagus is much easier to bite into and cooks more evenly. Just don’t forget to take the frozen puff pastry out of the freezer the night before!

Asparagus, Prosciutto and Parmesan Turnovers

Ingredients

• 2 sheets (450 g) frozen all-butter puff pastry, thawed
• 8 oz mascarpone cheese
• 200 g prosciutto, sliced thin
• 40 spears fresh asparagus, blanched and ends trimmed
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg, whisked, for egg wash

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Lightly flour surface and roll out each sheet of puff pastry. Cut each sheet into four 5” squares. In the centre of each square, spread a spoonful (1 oz) of mascarpone cheese, a slice of prosciutto and five spears of asparagus. Drizzle asparagus with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. 

Fold two of the edges over the filling and pinch to seal. Brush pastry with prepared egg wash and finish with a sprinkle of parmesan. 

Transfer turnovers to prepared baking sheet & bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Yield: Makes 8 turnovers

Marcella DiLonardo is the author of the cookbook Bake The Seasons & creator of the blog Hey Modest Marce. She is a freelance recipe developer, food photographer & stylist. Follow her latest culinary adventures over on @modestmarce.