Mariposa Palmiers

 

The other night I made fruit salad for dessert but we wanted something to go along with it. El had one piece of puff pastry in the freezer so we made mariposas!  You may know them as Palmiers.  I don't know why we called them mariposas growing up ... maybe because they look like butterflies?

Anyway ... these are super easy. 

Preheat oven to 200C/400F

You will need:

Puff pastry

Sugar, we used caster (fine) sugar

Baking tray lined with baking paper.

Sprinkle sugar onto a flat surface.  Lay puff pasty on top of flat sugared surface. Sprinkle a good layer of sugar on the top of the puff pastry.  Roll pastry from each side to meet in the centre.  Slice into 1/2 inch slices.  Lay slices on baking tray.  Bake anywhere between 10-15 minutes.  Keep and eye on them though ... burned sugar is not nice. 

The Ganache ....

Jono wanted to try making this Chocolate Ganache, Lavendar Cream and Raspberry Tart that we saw on Masterchef. We gave it a whirl. We liked it. Mostly. We changed the base to be whole wheat and it is delicious ... we've made it again for another tart that I'll share the recipe with you for soon !

We did not like the lavender flowers in the cream. Sort of tasted like someone had spilled perfume into the cream and you just wanted that perfumy taste to go away. It wasn't in every bite ... just the bites where you got a little flower petal !

We thought it was a bit too chocolaty. I know, I know ! How can something be too chocolaty ? It can ... when you are using dark chocolate. Also, the raspberries were a bit tart. We added some strawberries to it the second day and that was way nicer ! We think we'll also add banana next time !

So ... here's the recipe ... with our modifications ... click on the link above for the original recipe and a video from the show !!

240g good whole wheat flour, I sift mine
160g butter
Pinch of salt

300ml thickened cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 punnet strawberries, 1 banana

160ml cream
40g butter
180g dark chocolate, finely chopped

To make the dough ... this was so easy !! Put the flour, butter and a pinch of salt in a food processor and blend until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Add 1-2 teaspoons cold water and blend again until the dough just comes together. Tip out onto a lightly floured board or clean bench and form dough into a disc, enclose in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes. (if you do it too much longer than that it gets really hard to roll out ...) Roll pastry out to the size of whatever tart pan (or pans) you are using ~ I used a glass quiche dish ... actually, I used a tart pan but then the bottom popped out and the side of the pan burned me and I dropped it and lost the sides of my pastry so I transferred the half cooked pastry to a quiche dish !! ....poke the base with a fork, then place back in the fridge to rest for about 20 minutes.

For the ganache, place the cream and butter in a pan and stir over medium heat until butter has melted. Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl, pour over the warm cream, then stir until the chocolate has melted.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line the pastry case with baking paper and pastry beads or uncooked rice (finally I found a good use for brown rice !!!) . Blind-bake for 7-10 minutes, then remove baking paper and beads and bake for another 5-10 minutes until just golden. Press down any bubbles that have risen up and let it cool.

Meanwhile, whip thickened cream with vanilla. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Pour the chocolate ganache into the tart shells. Spread evenly with the back of a spoon or palette knife. Top with whipped cream and then with fruit ...

My Yummy Asparagus Pastry

Oops .. I said I'd post this ages ago ...

This was so easy.

I just got out a piece of puff pastry, laid it out on a cookie sheet lined with baking paper.
To the top, I added :
Chopped Spring Onions
Chopped Garlic Shoots
Chopped Asparagus
Pine Nuts
Kalamata Olives
Feta Cheese

I think I drizzled with olive oil.

Baked in oven til pastry was cooked.

Easy.

Yummy.

Rory said it was even better for leftovers the next day.

Yummo Spinach Parcels

This one burst open ... Look at all the yummies inside !! I got this recipe off the back of a Puff Pasty Package. I modified it a tiny bit ... I'll post the modified recipe here.

1 onion
garlic
baby spinach, chopped
300g ricotta cheese
150g feta cheese
salt and pepper
fresh mint
1 egg
Puff Pastry

Saute onion and garlic. Add spinach cook til wilted. Mix cheeses in a bowl, add sauteed mixture and fresh mint. The recipe called for 1/2 a bunch, but I probably only added a tsp. I thought that was too much. I think it really only needs a HINT of mint ... if any at all !! Stir in beaten egg. Cut a sheet of puff pastry into four squares. Fill with 2 tbls mixture. bring corners of the pastry into center of parcel. ( it said to brush edges with water ... I forgot and it didn't matter ) When you've made all the parcels, bake on cookie tray lined with baking paper. Bake in moderately hot oven (190C) for about 20 minutes ... or still golden.

The original recipe said to brush the parcels with a beaten egg. I also forgot to do this. OOPS ! Again ... didn't matter !!

These were so yummy ... straight out of the oven, and later reheated in the microwave for dinner, and then again the next day for lunch !!

*** EDITED to add ... I made these again and used lemon thyme instead of mint ! Liked that much much better and will do it that way from now on !!

Also, only made as many as I needed, saved the remaining mixture for the next day ... am actually waiting for the oven to pre-heat to cook them now !!

Sandra's Coconut Patries

One of my favorite bloggers, Sandra, posted this recipe and I just have to repost it so the rest of you can enjoy it as well. It's super easy and delicious ... if you like coconut, that is. You can pop over to her site to see step by step (with photos) instructions !!

Coconut Pastries

1 package Puff Pastry
3 eggs
1 cup of milk
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of coconut
sprinkle of vanilla essence
Powdered sugar for garnish

Unroll the sheets of puff pastry and cut each one into 9 squares.

Place on a cookie sheet bake in a 400F / 200C oven until done. (They will puff up and be lovely and golden) Remove from oven and cool down completely.

In the meantime, in a pan, add the eggs, milk, sugar, coconut and a drop or two of vanilla essence. Cook over medium heat until it thickens, remove from heat and allow to cool down.

Open each pastry square and add a tablespoon of the filling or a little more.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar. And voila ... done !

These were super yummy warm. BUT, the were also good the next day. Not flaky and crispy (?) like the first day ... more soft and squishy but still yummmmmmmmmy !!