FoodMayhem.com

Carol Gelles gave me a book called Sweet Miniatures, by Flo Braker, several years ago. It's possible that this book started my obsession with miniatures, after I bought a mini-muffin pan just to make the Sweet Cheese Puffs in this book. It is still my favorite recipe from this book, and occasionally I play with it to make different flavors.

I decided to make two adaptations, one with Grand Marnier, for my friend Caroline's birthday (yesterday). The other with Mango Butter, which I made today. These are wonderfully light, which is so deceiving as this is not a dessert for dieters.

Grand Marnier Puffs and Mango Cheese Puffs
~adapted from Sweet Cheese Puffs by Flo Braker

Sour cream pastry

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/4" slices
• 5 ounces sour cream

Filling

• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon finely grate orange zest
• 1 teaspoon Grand Marnier
• 2 tablespoons Mango Butter
• confectioners sugar for sprinkling
  

Directions

1. Combine the flour and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until the mixture consists of pieces resembling bread crumbs up to small peas.
2. Stir sour cream in with a fork. Use your fingers to press into a ball.
3. Divide in half and flatten into a roughly square shape. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours up to 3 days.
4. Process the cream cheese, egg, sugar, and vanilla in a food processor until smooth.
5. Divide in half and put in two separate containers. Mix the zest and Grand Marnier in to one of the cream cheese mixtures. Mix the mango butter into the other cream cheese mixture.
6. Remove one piece of dough from the refrigerator. Set aside for 10 minutes before rolling. Roll on a floured surface, into a rectangle, a bit less than 1/8 inch thick.
7. Cut the pastry into 3"x3" squares. Lay the squares across the top of the un-greased mini-muffin pan.
8. Spoon 1 heaping teaspoon of either cream cheese mixture onto each square.

9. Bring the corners of each pastry together and pinch. The pastry will ease into the muffin tins.

10. Chill for 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees at this time.
11. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wired rack for 10 minutes. Then remove the pastries from the pan and cool on a wire rack until room temperature.
12. Sprinkle with powdered sugar when ready to serve.

These are beautiful little pastries that make great gifts. The mango flavor isn't as noticeable as I would like but the Grand Marnier version is fantastic! I'll probably continue playing with all the flavor possibilities of this recipe... next time matcha?

posted by Jessica at 9:48 PM 11 Comments add a comment