TikTok's Upside-Down Pastries Just Changed Brunch Forever
We’ve all had that moment of panic when we get a last-minute invite somewhere or you get that unexpected guest ringing your doorbell. While you aren’t required to make anything, it sure would be nice, right? Rest assured that TikTok’s latest craze has got you covered. Upside-down pastries are taking over everyone’s FYP lately, and they’re super easy to throw together with whatever odds and ends you have laying around.
Leftover cold cuts? Upside-down pastry. Shredded cheese in the back of the fridge? Upside-down pastry. Veggies that are looking a little less than? Upside-down pastry. With a few minutes of your time, a few ingredients (and, OK, a bit of creativity), you’ll get an impressive and delicious result out of the oven every time.
Delicate and flaky, these sweet or savory treats will be your new go-to dish when hosting parties, brunch or last-minute company that arrives hangry.
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What are the upside-down pastries?
Upside-down pastries are exactly what they sound like—pastry squares that are assembled with ingredients down first and pastry dough on top (made upside-down). They're then baked to perfection so that when you turn them over after their glow up in the oven, they’ve become a fabulous, fancy pastry with pretty much no effort on the part of the chef (that’s you).
TikTokker Alexa Santos (@alexawhatsfordinner) had some fantastic ideas when she put together a few versions on her TikTok page. Baking up brie and blackberry; prosciutto, asparagus and Gruyere; and even a sweet version made with strawberries and kiwi. Possibilities are endless and really depend upon what you have in your fridge.
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel
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What are the ingredients for upside-down pastries?
I made three different versions of the upside-down pastry because: 1. I like variety, and 2. since versions on TikTok are slightly different, I wanted to be able to bake up a few combos to see what works best. I decided on Gruyere and asparagus; shallot and thyme; and bacon mozzarella. All three came out of the oven in a delectable haze of honey, cheese and bacon. Are you drooling yet? The standard recipe is pretty easy: puff pastry, honey and whatever toppings your little heart desires. The key here is the parchment paper or Silpat for the baking sheet so that your treats don’t stick to the pan.
For the bacon and mozzarella pastry puff, I used shredded mozzarella, puff pastry, and bacon—that’s it. As I pulled the bacon out of the fridge, I was a bit annoyed at the fact that I was probably going to have to cook it. However, in rewatching the TikToks, it was evident that they were laying down slices of raw bacon, straight from the package. (The less work, the better in my opinion).
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel
The shallot and thyme riff was inspired by a French onion version I saw floating around Instagram. I prefer shallots over onions always so I sliced up one for this square. Sprinkling it with thyme and a bit of Parmesan at the end was perfection.
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel
The Gruyere and asparagus were a combo I saw on Santos’ page. She added prosciutto to hers, which I ended up leaving out, but the slightly stinky Gruyere with the crisp asparagus spears (also uncooked) not only looked pretty laying in the pastry but was an outstanding combo.
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel
What do the upside-down pastries taste like?
The common denominator for all of these is the delicate flakiness that comes out of the oven. I legit gasped when I opened the oven door because they were so puffed up and beautiful, glistening from their little egg wash bath before baking. Buttery puff pastry is, of course, the dominant flavor here, with whatever you top it with coming in second. The asparagus and Gruyere were fantastic but probably would have been better with prosciutto, or even some grainy mustard. The bacon mozzarella had a decent cheese pull effect and the bacon cooked up nicely under its little puff pastry blanket. The shallot and thyme were reminiscent of French onion soup, with layers of caramelized shallot, herby thyme, fresh cracked pepper and the pastry playing the role of the crouton. All three were the perfect blend of sweet and savory, warm, flaky and just plain excellent.
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What’s the recipe for the upside-down pastries?
Ingredients (for 6 pastries):
1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted and cut into 6 rectangles
Toppings of choice (meats, cheeses, herbs, veggies and fruits)
Honey
Salt and pepper
1 egg whisked with a splash of water
Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Prepare your baking sheet by laying out your Silpat or parchment.
2. Drizzle honey onto your prepared baking sheet roughly the size of one rectangle of the pastry.
3. Lay your ingredients on top of the honey. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, if desired.
4. Lay on the rectangle of puff pastry and tuck your ingredients inside. Press down the edges onto the parchment.
5. Brush the tops of the pastry with egg wash.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden and puffy, and enjoy immediately.
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel
Tips for perfecting the upside-down pastries
Don’t skip the Silpat (or parchment) step. This keeps the pastries from sticking to your baking sheet (and wouldn’t that be a shame?).
Don’t underestimate the powers of a good pair of kitchen scissors. I used mine to save time and cut everything from the slices of bacon to the puff pastry itself.
Some savory versions online used olive oil and balsamic glaze (Trader Joe’s makes a good one) in place of the honey. I used this combination for the shallot and thyme version and while the combo was good, it took some quick work to keep the olive oil from spreading before laying down my ingredients. Have everything ready to go.
Pay attention to the oven as these are baking. On my first go around, I baked these for a touch too long and the shallots were on the verge of burning rather than being caramelized. When in doubt, take them out. You can always bake for a few more minutes if need be. Recipes list oven temperatures anywhere from 350 to 400 depending on the ingredients used, but 375 seems to be the magic temperature from most recipes on TikTok.
These do not keep well. And that’s one thing that they won’t tell you on TikTok. Barely an hour after making them, they became cold, bland and lifeless; the baking sheet a graveyard of Gruyere and puff pastry. So if you’re going to make these, do yourself a favor and serve ASAP. They are fantastic for using up leftovers but not necessarily becoming them.