Mini Puff Pastries

Forest Fruit Puff Pastries

Quick and simple to make, great for beginners that do not have years of experience in baking :)

It would be great to make puff pastry from scratch, 

but to save time and make this recipe fair to everyone,

 I used store-bought that tastes almost like homemade.

In the near future, I will make more sweets! :)

Ingredients- Baking Time- ~25mins

1. Fresh Puff Pastry (store-bought, refrigerated) 
2. Frozen Forest Fruit Mix  

• strawberry
• raspberry
• blackberry
• blueberry
• cranberry

3. 1 Egg Yolk
4. White Sugar

Instructions-

1. Preheat oven to 200C.
2. If using frozen fruit, thaw for a few hours before making.
3. Sweeten fruit by adding sugar during the thawing process, add about 1 tablespoon.
4. Unpack puff pastry, and cut into shapes as shown above in pictures.
5. First, cut entire piece into two.Then cut into halves, again. There should be four equal pieces.
6. Cut horizontally three times to create 16 equal square pieces. Try to make them as equal as possible.
7. Take the first top corners and bring them into the center. Stick them together with your fingertip.
8. Repeat this step for the bottom corners to create the shape seen above in the photos.
9. Place desired fruit in the center and decorate around the center with fruit of your choice.
10. Be creative, make one square using all types of fruit or make just one with only cranberries.
11. Repeat steps until all 16 squares are filled with fruit.
12. Smear/Brush top edges of pastries with egg yolk. You may use a painting/cooking brush.
13. Place on baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes or until golden-brown.
14. You may sprinkle sugar on top of the fruit before baking. I also baked 8 at once, only.
15. Remember, leave some room between the pastries, they will grow. Do not worry if from the rising process the fruit falls off the pastry, you may add it back on after baking. 

ENJOY :) 

Sweet Sweet Friday

Polish Traditional Crepes 

with Sweet Cheese and Strawberry Purée

 

 

 

Ingredients-       ( Prep Time ~20mins  -  Cooking Time ~30mins ) 

Crepe Batter:

1. ~500g Cake Flour

2. ~750ml-1L Milk 

3. 1 Egg

4. 1 Tablespoon of Oil

5. Pinch of salt

6. Pinch of sugar

7. Pinch of vanilla sugar

Sweet Cheese Filling:

1. 200g Farmer's Cheese 

2. 2 teaspoons of sugar

3. 1 teaspoon of vanilla sugar

4. Pinch of salt

5. 1 Tablespoon of 18% Sour Cream

Strawberry Topping:

1. 400g Frozen Strawberries 

2. 3-4 Tablespoons 18% Fat Sour Cream

3. Sugar (Add to taste, the sweetness of the strawberries might be enough!)

4. 1 Teaspoon of vanilla sugar

Instructions-

1. Thaw frozen strawberries. Crush them when softened. (A blender is fine to use, but the concept of this topping is for the chunks of strawberries to be present!)

2. Add flour, milk, and one egg into a large bowl. 

3. Mix well and add a pinch of salt and sugar. 

4. Check the consistency of the batter, it should not be thick or heavy. Crepes need a batter that is watery. Add more milk if needed. Add some oil to create a non-stick batter.

5. Mix well, a blender will come in handy in this step. There should be no clumps of flour.

 **Do not over mix the batter or the crepes will become tough. 

***Only blend until there are no more clumps in the batter!

6. Set the batter aside, and fluff up farmer's cheese with a fork or spoon. 

7. Add sugar and salt. The cheese should be very sweet, so add enough to satisfy your taste.

8. Mix well and add a tablespoon of sour cream to lighten the consistency. The cheese should be easy to spread.

9. Set the cheese in the fridge. Check if your strawberries are ready, when they are, add a few tablespoons of sour cream. Sweeten to taste, add some vanilla sugar, as well.

10. We are ready to make our crepes! 

A few tips -> The first crepe is usually the worst, mainly because of the pan being too cool. Do not overload the pan with batter. The crepe should be extremely thin! Heat the pan, it should be very hot. Add some oil for the first set of crepes, with each crepe the cooking will be quicker and better!

11. Lay the batter on a large pan. When the crepe starts to turn gold, flip it with a spatula. Cook until both sides are golden brown, usually a minute or so. 

12. Make all your crepes at once. When finished, place a few teaspoons of cheese and fold into half and once again into half. A triangle shape is common in Eastern Europe. Pour the strawberry puree on top.

ENJOY :)