Raspberry Vanilla Pastry

Description

File:A Luxurios Teatime Treat.jpg

Raspberry Vanilla Pastry

Light flaky layers with some surprises between!

• Serves 10 – 12.

Ingredients

• 2 tsp / 10 ml margarine
• 1 lb / 450 g puff pastry
• little flour
• 2 oz / 50 g corn flour
• 1 pint / 600 ml milk
• 1 vanilla pod
• 4 oz / 125 g caster sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 4 oz / 125 g raspberry jam
• 2 oz / 50 g raspberries
• 8 oz / 225 g icing sugar

Procedures

1. Preheat the oven to mark 7 / 425°F / 220°C, grease 2 baking trays with margarine then sprinkle the trays with little water.
2. Roll out the pastry on lightly floured surface thin sheet, approximately 8 x 5in / 20 x 15cm, trim the edges and prick the pastry all over with a fork.
3. To achieve neat sized pieces of pastry, a cardboard template is useful when culling out.
4. Cut the pastry into 14 pieces each 4 x 2½ in / 10 x 6cm.
5. Place on prepared trays, close but not touching, to ensure even cooking.
6. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes until golden in colour.
7. Carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool.
8. When cold split each pastry slice horizontally through the middle into 2 or even 3 layers if the pastry is very well risen and flaky.
9. Dissolve cornflour in a little milk heat with vanilla and sugar bring to the boil turn off the heat and leave for 5 minutes to infuse, remove vanilla.
10. Whisk together the cornflour milk and egg yolks.
11. Return to the pan and bring back to the boil cook gently stirring all the time, for about 2 – 3 minutes, or until thick.
12. Cool custard thoroughly whisking occasionally to avoid a too thick, solid custard if necessary sieve the custard before use.
13. Warm the jam slightly and mix in the raspberries halved cool the mixture.
14. Slightly and spread over the bottom layer of pastry (reserve 1 – 2 tbsp / 15 – 30 ml for the topping) if you have only 2 layers of pastry spread the cold custard over the jam and then top with a final layer of pastry, if you have 3 layers spread the second pastry layer with custard and place on top of the first, top with the final pastry layer.
15. Blend the icing sugar with sufficient water to give spreading consistency spread icing over the top layer of pastry.
16. Sieve reserved jam and place in a very small paper piping bag,snip a little off the corner of the bag to give a small hole.
17. Pipe the jam across the top of the pastry slices in 2 or 3 lines.
18. Gently pull a knife across these lines from end to end twice this will give the pretty feathered or pulled effect.
19. If you are not intending to serve the slices immediately store in a cool but not chilled place, or the pastry will go soggy.