Gemüse-Blätterteig-Muffins (vegetable puff pastry muffins)

Method

1. Cut 12 circles from the puff pastry sheets with a large round cutter or glass, about 10 cm across, re-rolling scraps as needed. Press each circle into a muffin tin cavity, pushing it up the sides to form a cup.
2. Combine the zucchini, pepper, sweetcorn and spring onion in a bowl.
3. Whisk the eggs, cream, cheese, salt, pepper and paprika together in a separate bowl.
4. Divide the vegetables evenly among the pastry cups, then pour the egg mixture over each, filling to just below the rim; it will puff slightly as it bakes.
5. Bake at 190°C for 22 to 25 minutes, until the pastry is deep golden and the filling is just set with no wobble in the centre.
6. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before lifting out; they are easier to remove once slightly cooled, and the pastry base finishes crisping as they cool.

Notes

• Dice the vegetables small. Large pieces poke through the pastry cups or sit unevenly, and they cook through more reliably when small.
• Do not overfill the cups. The egg mixture rises as it sets; filling right to the top before baking causes it to spill over the pastry edge.
• They are best eaten warm or at room temperature the same day, but keep for 2 days in the fridge and reheat well in a moderate oven for 8 minutes.
• They freeze well baked and cooled; reheat from frozen in a moderate oven for about 15 minutes.

Ingredient substitutions

• Zucchini, pepper, sweetcorn and spring onion can be any diced vegetable that does not release too much water; mushrooms and cherry tomatoes both work, cooked off briefly first to drive off excess liquid.
• Grated hard cheese can be any melting cheese; feta crumbled through adds a sharper, saltier note.
• A muffin tin lined with paper cases makes removal easier if the pastry sticks, though the crust will be slightly less crisp on the sides.