RFCJ RECIPE ARCHIVE
Posted by : Ruth Heiges Palace Pastries with Three-Nut Filling - pareve
Evelyn Rose is undaunted by the pastry police in this week's "Table Talk" column in the Jewish Chronicle (Great Britain). ;-) She writes: "There's also a superb variation on the theme of baklava, but using the frozen easier-to-handle puff pastry instead of fillo. If you buy ready-rolled vegetarian puff pastry, it's even easier." This is her sweet suggestion for the end of the holiday period. (I've edited some of the sentences a bit, for clarity.) We once discussed what "mixed sweet spice" is, but I don't precisely recall the conclusion. Unless someone can once again enlighten, I'd make a combination of nutmeg and cinnamon; possibly ginger. Ruth PALACE PASTRIES WITH A THREE-NUT FILLING ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Makes 20-22. Keep 1 week under refrigeration. Freeze 3 months. 8 oz. (225g) puff pastry sheets For the filling: 1-1/2 oz. (40g) butter or margarine 3 oz. (75 g) white sesame seeds 6 oz. (175 g) blanched almonds 3 oz. (75 g) natural pistachios 1 egg white 1-1/2 oz. (40 g) caster sugar 1/2 teaspoon mixed sweet spice 3 teaspoons citrus-blossom water 2 teaspoons rosewater For the syrup: 8 oz (225 g) granulated sugar 6 fl. oz. (175 g) water 1 Tablespoon lemon juice 1 Tablespoon citrus-blossom water 2 teaspoons rosewater For the garnish: 2 Tablespoon coarsely chopped pistachios Grease a roulade or Swiss roll tin [jelly-roll pan] about 12 x 8 x 1 inches (30 x 20 x 2.5cm). Preheat the oven to gas no. 5 (375°F, 190°C). First make the filling: Using the pulse action, chop the almonds and pistachios until fine but still with some texture, then sauté with the sesame seeds in the butter or margarine until golden, stirring constantly. Turn into a bowl and stir in the spice, citrus-blossom water and rosewater. Whisk the egg white until it holds stiff peaks, then whisk in the sugar a teasp at a time. Add to the nut mixture and mix thoroughly. Roll out the pastry sheet until it is thin as possible — it should be 16 inches (40 cm) wide. Spread three-quarters of the pastry with the filling, leaving the quarter of pastry furthest away from you quite bare. Then, roll up into a tight Swiss roll, finishing with the joint underneath. Cut the roll into 20-22 slices, each rather more than 1/2-inch (1 cm) thick. Then lay the slices side by side, without touching, in the tin. Bake for 30 minutes or until the slices are golden brown. To prepare the syrup: Do this as soon as the pastries go into the oven, as the syrup must be allowed to cool to room temperature. Put the sugar and water into a medium-sized pan and heat, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Add the lemon juice and bubble gently for about 12 minutes until the syrup thickly coats the back of a wooden spoon. Then, stir in the citrus-blossom and rosewater and remove from the heat. As it cools, it will thicken to the consistency of thin honey. If too thick, add a little boiling water and stir well. When the pastries come out of the oven, leave them in the tin for 5 minutes to cool. Then, pour the syrup over them and allow it to soak in for 2 hours, basting once or twice. Serve at room temperature with the bottom of each roll to the top, each one lightly scattered with pistachios. [IOW, turn the pastry over for serving, so that the most syrupy portion is facing up.] Evelyn Rose - Jewish Chronicle, UK 9 October 1998 www.jchron.co.uk/jc/jcdat/98/this_week/cook_1.htm
