Cream and Strawberry Puff Pastries

Cream and strawberry puff pastries are a refined and delicious dessert that combines the sweetness of custard with the tartness of fresh strawberries, all contained within a crispy puff pastry shell. Here is the recipe for making this indulgent dessert.

Ingredients

• 1 rectangular roll of puff pastry
• 500 ml of whole milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 100 g of granulated sugar
• 40 g of all-purpose flour
• 1 vanilla pod or vanilla extract
• Fresh strawberries (quantity to taste)
• Icing sugar (for decoration)

Preparation

1. Begin by preparing the custard. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until you have a light and fluffy mixture. Add the sifted flour and mix well.
2. Split the vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape out the seeds or use the vanilla extract instead. Heat the milk with the vanilla in a saucepan until it just begins to boil.
3. Gradually pour the hot milk over the whipped yolks, stirring continuously to prevent the eggs from cooking. Transfer everything back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the cream thickens.
4. Once ready, transfer the custard to a bowl, cover it with cling film making contact to prevent a skin from forming and let it cool completely.
5. Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
6. Roll out the puff pastry and cut it into squares or rectangles of your preferred size.
7. Place the pieces of puff pastry on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and prick them with a fork to prevent them from puffing up too much. Bake in the oven for about 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Once the puff pastry has cooled, cut each piece horizontally to obtain two layers.
9. Wash and slice the strawberries.
10. Assemble the pastries by placing a layer of custard and strawberries on the bottom puff pastry and topping with the second layer of pastry.
11. Dust with icing sugar before serving.

This delicious dessert presents well for a sophisticated snack or as the end of a meal in a special dinner. Remember to serve the puff pastries shortly after assembling them to maintain the crispiness of the pastry.

Curiosity

Cream and strawberry puff pastries are the perfect example of how Italian cuisine can transform a few simple ingredients into a masterpiece of flavor and presentation. Puff pastry, with its history dating back to the Renaissance, has become a fundamental element of both sweet and savory pastry, adapting to an infinite number of recipes.