Apricot and Cream Cheese Pastry
This is a lovely, simple pastry that will make a great breakfast, brunch or dessert. It doesn’t require any special equipment or even a great deal of skill. Feel free to improvise with these pastries. I like this shape and whilst it is not difficult to make, it does require that you follow a few steps. If you prefer, you can cut square or round shapes and use the edge of a knife to gently lift and fold over the edges of the pastry. This will form a border which holds the lovely apricot and cream cheese filling. However, as fresh apricots are not yet in season, and I can wait no longer, I am using canned apricots in these pastries. The combination of the flaky pastry, the cheesecake-style filling and the fresh-tasting apricots is delicious.
Do not be deterred by the thought that you will be spending hours in the kitchen to make these. On the contrary, these pastries are quickly and easily made. When developing this recipe, I wanted to make something which had a similar taste to a Danish pastry. Danish pastries are traditionally made from sweet yeast dough. But for the sake of convenience and ease, I am using one of my favorite ingredients, store-bought frozen puff pastry.
These Apricot and Cream Cheese Pastries are so easy to make. The filling is a little like cheesecake and the glazed apricot adds bright flavor. With a flaky crust and a creamy center, this is a delicious pastry.
Ingredients:
- 2 sheets butter puff pastry
- 6 tbsp cream cheese at room temperature.
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp icing/confectioners' sugar
- 8 canned apricot halves
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 2 tbsp demerara sugar
- 2 tbsp apricot jam