olive twists

parchment cone of olive twists

Yesterday I craved salty, earthy olives. I remembered these delicious Olive Twists my friends and I enjoyed with a bottle of Conundrum at Amical, a little Bistro in Traverse City, Michigan. On that warm August evening, after watching Hamlet 2 at the TC Film Festival, we dined al fresco and started our meal with briny, funky, flaky pastry.

I was certain I could find a recipe online, but through my quick perusal of the usual suspects--epicurious and the blogosphere--I didn't really find what I wanted. I found a recipe for cheese twists in my Bon Appetit cookbook, and decided to improvise. Amounts aren't exact because, well, I'm really an improvisational cook, which is why I don't think I could ever write a cookbook.

Olive Twists
*makes 30*

1 sheet prepared Puff Pastry, thawed
1/4 lb pitted kalamata olives (or any other olive you like)
lemon zest and juice, to taste
thyme, to taste
red pepper flakes, to taste
1/4 cup grated parmesan


Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Combine olives and seasonings in a food processor until roughly chopped.

Lightly roll out the puff pastry. If it separates along the fold lines like mine did, that's just fine. You'll have three equal sections.

Spread olive mixture on pastry; sprinkle with cheese.

Cut each of the three sections into ten short pieces. Next, twist and stretch each section. This will be a bit messy and the filling may spill out a bit--you can scoop it back into the twist.

Places twists on prepared baking sheet--I covered mine with parchment paper. Bake for about 8 minutes or until golden brown and puffy.

Enjoy warm or cool. These are delicious with wine and cheese:)