I’d want to start the new year off right with a unique recipe. Something with an Italian flavor.
Something I adore.
Something that is… what do you call it?!?
…and, of course, DESSERT!!
And I’m not talking about any old dessert; I’m talking about a crisp, buttery puff pastry shell bursting with rich, sinfully creamy custard.
This pastry has everything I want (and need) in a pie: it’s lick-your-finger tasty (really! ), it’s simple to prepare (I used pre-made puff pastry to save time), and it’s oh-so-gorgeous.
Check it out!
I’m a sucker for custard cream, so I adore it. The numerous cream-based dishes on the blog should have given it away. Fruit and custard tarts, torta della nonna, my strawberry rose tart, cream-filled frittelle, strawberry and cream bars, berry meringue cups… and so many more that I can’t recall.
What’s not to love about a thick, vanilla-flavored cream encased in a buttery, crunchy pastry?! Delicious and warming, especially on cold winter days. Yes, even in Southern California, we’ve got a little bit of winter this year!
I used frozen puff pastry in today’s recipe. I just rolled out the pastry, sprinkled it with a bit of sugar (for added crunch), sliced it into strips, and rolled it around the shape. You can see how simple these horns are to construct in my video:
Isn’t it a piece of cake?!?
Fill with cream and dust with powdered sugar before serving. Beautiful:)
INGREDIENTS
To make the custard cream, combine the following ingredients in a mixing bowl.
3 beaten egg yolks
30 grams (3 tablespoons) all-purpose flour
Sugar, 1/2 cup (100 g)
1 teaspoon extract de Vanille
Milk, 8 oz (235 ml)
For the cannoncini, prepare as follows:
1 defrosted puff pastry sheet (about 8 oz, 225 gr)
Sugar, 1/4 cup (50 g)
a single egg (for egg wash)
to decorate with powdered sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare the custard cream (crema pastiera) first:
Warm the milk until it is steaming (not boiling).
Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla extract, and flour in a medium saucepan until light and fluffy.
While whisking, gradually adds the milk, making sure there are no lumps.
Heat the pan over medium heat, constantly stirring, until it comes to a slow boil. Because the cream will thicken, make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom. Reduce the heat to low and cook for a few more minutes or until the desired thickness is achieved.
Fill a glass dish halfway with cream, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to chill. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.
For the pastry horns, follow these instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius).
Sprinkle some sugar over the counter and on top of the puff pastry before rolling it out into a 9-by-12-inch rectangle.
12 striped cutouts (about 1 inch thick). Cut the puff pastry into three sections, then cut each quarter into four strips.
Each strip should be rolled into a horn mold (conical in shape). The pastry must be overlapping (about half of the length).
Place seam (end of the strip) down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Combine one egg and one tablespoon of water in a mixing bowl. Using the egg wash, gently brush each pastry cone.
Make sure the egg wash is kept away from the mold. Once baked, it will be more challenging to extract the pastry horn from the mold.
Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400°F (200°C) until brown on top.
Allow them to cool for a few minutes before carefully removing them from the mold. If the pastry adheres to the form, carefully press it in (to make the diameter smaller) and flip it within the dough until it falls off.
Fill with cream using a piping bag before serving. If desired, dust with powdered sugar and serve.
