One of my favorite “hotel danishes” of all time is a hazelnut danish. Puff pastry, finely chopped hazelnut, hazelnut paste and probably a light glaze of simple sugar. I used to be able to eat 2-3 of them with a cup of hot tea whenever I ran across them at a breakfast buffet. So when I was mulling other possible puff pastry recipes, I decided to make something similar… only this time making use of the cashew nut butter I made a few days ago. This was a hit. But then again, I am a biased observer and taster! But the pictures say it all.
Thaw some puff pastry and cut them into large rectangles. Place about a tablespoon or so of homemade cashew butter off center on the rectangle. Top with a few chopped roasted cashew nuts for texture. Brush the edges of the pastry with an egg wash and fold the pastry over the filling. Seal the edges with the tines of a fork. Brush the top of the danish with the egg wash and sprinkle with some finely chopped cashew nuts. Cut three small vents in the pastry with a sharp knife so the steam can escape and stick the pastries on a silpat mat or baking paper on a baking sheet and stick in a hot oven until the pastry has puffed up and is golden brown.
In the meantime, melt a couple of tablespoons of guava jelly in the microwave and once the pastries are out of the oven, brush them lightly with some melted guava jelly so they get a nice surface gloss to them.
These were great. The puff pastry performed exactly as you would want it to, and the flaky layers are clearly visible. The cashew butter was tasty and not overly sweet at all, and the filling to pastry ratio was just right. I have to admit that hazelnuts have a stronger flavor profile so they are still my favorite, but these weren’t far behind. The glaze was just enough to provide that hint of guava flavor which was consistent with the sweetener used in the cashew butter. Yum. And yes, I am still following a fairly strict diet, though I am taking some carbohydrates now. :)
23 Responses
Ah, my boy loves this with tea and milk. It is the pecan and maple variety that we love to eat here and it is always a must on weekends.
Oh to have puff pastry as gorgeous as this readily available! Do you think Artisan C will sell in Manila one day?? I’m writing Santa!
Awesome!
Please beg them to sell in Tacloban for us.
You are in a dessert mode right now MM! :-)
Lucky me…I can buy a frozen puff pastry here :)
The picture does say it all MM!!!
Cashew-Butter combo is a winner! :) And your pastry looks divine!
Do we have puff pastry history 101 forthcoming ? So looking fwd. I hear its just a slab of butter wrapped in flour. There are several youtube instructionals to effect. Will take my cue from you. Looking fwd po
MM, this to me looks like turn-overs more than danish pastries which are more substantial and less airier being made of raised laminated yeast dough.
MM, your puff pastry posts are making me miss my cebu trips, because i always make it a point to order a couple of kilos of puff pastry dough and kesong puti from artisan chocolatier whenever i’m there. i love having a kilo or so in the freezer – that way i can always make empanada, curry puffs, cinnamon twists, financiers, croissants and tarts galore!
present tense, “just a slab of butter wrapped in flour” – naku, you can say that again. the same way i will write a hundred times, i will not attempt to make puff pastry from scratch again”. believe me, making it from scratch in philippine weather without industrial equipment will have butter dripping all over your kitchen and clothes!
wow looks soo yummy!
@millet: Haha, I share your sentiments. tried making croissants and all I ended up with was some very buttery bread shaped like crescents!
Hmmmm….. these does look like turnovers as Footloose says, but if were not into the nitty gritty of things then I believe it’s fine because essentially Danishes are laminated doughs with some other ingredient on it the likes of Jam, fruits and cheese, etc… no matter what shape it is, it all comes out the same on the other end anyway! :)
wow my mouth is watering, lunch time at the juror assembly room and not in the mood to go outside haaay drools!!!
Man oh man, I wish I can try this. Looks delicious !
footloose and tonceq, yes, you are right, more of a turnover than a danish… frankly, I didn’t even know the difference in doughs, obviously I haven’t made them from scratch ever. :) present tense, puff pastry is definitely not something I would make at home…
Wow! I can only imagine how good these must have been. You never cease to amaze MM!
oh my! what good looking croissants! i want!
That is a genius idea.
Will you be offering desserts in your “resto”, MM? :)
i also love a good hazelnut danish. actually, i love hazelnut everything! :)
hey MM what about a puff pastry dough with zubuchon sisig inside.
Danish dough has small amount of yeast, MM, whereas puff pastry has none! I can teach you how to make both. They can also be frozen…
Hi Ms. Betty Q.! Ask ko lang baka pwede mong share ang Danish dough recipe mo. Please…really want to try it. Thanks!