Pigs In A Quilt

I’m sure you’ve heard of pigs in a blanket, but have you heard of pigs in a quilt? Pigs in a blanket are one of the best make-ahead party bites, but it’s time they get an upgrade. Here, we swap crescent dough wrapped around the hot dog with a quilt made with woven crescent dough. All you need is some hot dogs, classic crescent dough, and egg wash for a shiny golden finish.

The hot dogs:
Classic pigs in a blanket call for mini cocktail wieners. For this recipe, choose your favorite all-beef hot dog. To make this vegetarian or vegan, feel free to use a plant-based hot dog or sausage.

The crescent dough:
I opt for classic Pillsbury crescent dough, but puff pastry or pizza dough works great here too. Achieve the signature golden crust with an egg wash and top with flaky sea salt. For added texture, feel free to top with poppy seeds for a Chicago-style inspired hot dog, sesame seeds, or even an everything bagel seasoning blend.

The technique:
To achieve the quilt effect, spread the dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangular shape. Maintain the basic shape of the dough when it comes out of the tube, which is about 10" x 8". The dough should be only a little longer than the length of the hot dogs. Once you cut the dough into strands lengthwise, arrange on a parchment-lined sheet. Like making a lattice pie crust, place one hot dog in the middle, lift up every other strip, and fold back over the first hot dog. Place a second hot dog next to the first, lift the alternating strips from the first hot dog, and lay over the second. Continue the process with all eight hot dogs.

Dips & serving:
Serve the pigs in a quilt with whole grain mustard, ketchup, or BBQ sauce. The pigs in a quilt looks quite impressive on its own, but your guests will want to pick up bite-size pieces, so cut them into 1" pieces or quarters.

Storage:
This is a great make-ahead dish. You can assemble the quilt and refrigerate a few hours before baking it off.

Did you try making this? Let us know how it went in the comments.