Getting Creative with Puff

Thursday, We used our freshly made puff pastry dough to create several yummy items.

First Chef demoed how to make almond cream other wise known as frangipane.

It is very similar to making any basic cookie dough. Cream the butter and sugar, add the egg,then the almond flour and then cream/liquors.

Then she demoed pastry cream but i didn't take any pictures because i already have pastry cream demo pictures.

Pithivier

A pithivier is a round puff pastry filled with jam and a mixture of pastry cream/ frangipane

With one 6th of the dough made previously, roll it out very thin, about the same thinness as the day before (1/8 inch ish). Cut out a 9 inch circle, if possible cut out two from one piece, if not do the same with another 6th of the dough.

Place the bottom layer of the dough on the lined pan and spread a thin layer of jam leaving a one inch border all the way around. Then place second filling on top of that, using 2 parts frangipane to one part pastry cream.

Spreading on the jam and frangipane/pastry cream inside

Covering with 2nd round of puff pastry

When doing this step, egg was the edge of the bottom layer of dough. Be careful not to get any air bubbles, if any occur try and press towards the center of the pastry.

Next, freeze the pastry until firm. To finish, cut the edges of the circle with a small sized round cutter or exacto knife. Be careful to leave space between the cut edge and the filling otherwise you will leak. Then poke a whole in the middle of the pastry, this will release any air pockets

From the small hole in the middle, carefully, create a "sun" or wave shape on the dough using an exacto knife on an angle, much like scoring a baguette as pictured below.

Cutting the Pithivier

Eggwash and bake until golden brown

My finished Pithivier

Jalousie

This is similar to a strudel only you are using puff pastry. Roll out a 6th of the dough, to the same thickness as before about 1/8 inch or a 11x13 inch square. Cut one square slightly larger than the one when cutting the piece in "half".

Place the smaller rectangle of dough on the sheet pan. And place about 3 tablespoons of the prepared frangipane onto the dough, leaving a border of about 1/2 inch.

Thinly sliced peeled fruit is then shingled down the length of the dough, covering the almond cream. I used apples.You can also add, any nuts, dried fruit (softened up by liquors as well as cinnamon sugar.

I used toasted almonds and tons of cinnamon sugar for the inside

With the larger rectangle of dough, fold in half and slice several uniform slits along the fold, this will vent the product. Then clean up the edges with a pastry wheel and seal the edges using a paring knife, fork or spoon Cream wash (straight heavy cream brushed on) and if desired sprinkle with any type of sugar (i used cinnamon sugar again)

Baked Jalousie

Fruit Strips Part One

To create the shell of the fruit strip. Roll out the 6th of dough to the same thickness, about a 12 x13 inch rectangle. Cut the dough 7 inches in, place piece on the parchment lined pan. And poke tons and tons of holes in it, this will prevent rising, to keep a open shape to be filled.Then using a ruler cut two strips, the width of the ruler. Egg wash the edges of the larger piece and place the strips of cut dough along the sides, clean up the edges with a pastry wheel and bake.

These will be filled with pastry cream and fruit, sooooo yummmy!