Chocolate Pastries

Ever since Jared and I went to Paris about 8 years ago, we've loved Pan Au Chocolat.  It's like a croissant with chocolate rolled up in it, but it has a more tubular shape (like the picture above).  I never thought I could do anything like that at home, but once again I have been happily disproven.  I got an idea for these from a recipe I saw on TV, but I've tweaked it and changed the shape making it look more like a classic Pan Au Chocolat that you would find in Paris. The creamy filling is really wonderful, it doesn't taste cream-cheesy, it just tastes like a great creamy chocolate filling.  These would be awesome served with hot chocolate for the cold fall and winter months ahead. 

 Chocolate Pastries
1/2 C cream cheese at room temp
1 egg yolk
1 T flour
1/4 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 C mini chocolate chips
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
In a small bowl, mix together the cheese, yolk, flour, sugar, vanilla and salt until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips and set aside.
Cut each sheet of pastry into 6 even pieces. Place pieces of pastry onto the parchment lined pans. Spoon 1-2 tablespoons of filling into the middle of each piece of pastry. Fold one side down onto the filling, then using a pastry brush, brush it lightly with the beaten egg. Then fold the other side of pastry down onto the egg wash and pinch a little to be sure it stays down during baking. Brush top of entire pastry with a little egg wash. Leave the ends open. It will somewhat resemble an egg roll at this point.
Bake until puffed and golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven to cooling rack and let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Pastries!

Jared and I went to Spain for a week at the beginning of the month and had a wonderful time.  It seems like when I travel my experience can be influenced a great deal by the food I enjoy while I'm there.  I had been very excited to eat tortilla espanola, and paella because of my childhood memories of making them with my mom.  But I was pleasantly surprised by the pastries we got to enjoy every morning.  I generally associate pastries with France, and for some reason had not expected all the wonderful pastries that would be tempting me in all the shop windows.  Most mornings we would get a chocolate croissant and an apply pastry and devour them with fresh squeezed orange juice or hot chocolate.  If only we Americans ate breakfast like that on a regular basis! So much for cereal.
So the other night we had a few visitors, Jared's aunt and a couple of her friends.  I decided to make a big paella and follow it up with some wonderful dessert.  When I think of dessert, my mind automatically goes to chocolate.  So I made my favorite flourless chocolate cake.  But after some consideration I decided that not everyone likes to inject chocolate directly into their bloodstream.  So I decided to make the apply pastries as a nice second choice.
I have to say, not only were these very easy to make (the hardest part was peeling the apples) but they were received with way more enthusiasm than I expected.  I kind of felt sorry for the cake sitting there being overlooked, because no one could get enough of the apple pastries.  So, here is a really simple recipe that everyone will be absolutely amazed you actually made it yourself!

Apple Tarte Fine
2 medium size firm sweet apples (golden delicious)
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
2 T butter, cut into small pieces
2 T sugar
3 T melted butter
3 T sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  ThawPeel and core the apples, cut into four quarters.  Slice into about 7 slices per quarter.  On a sheet of parchment paper, roll out the puff pastry slightly.  Cut with a sharp knife into 6 even pieces.  Place the pastry onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper leaving an inch or so between pieces.  Dot the pastry with the small cut up pieces of butter, then sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of sugar evenly over all the dough.  Then layer the slices of apple, overlapping slightly .  About 6 slices per piece of puff pastry is right.  Using a pastry brush, brush the tops with the melted butter.  Then finally sprinkle with the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar.
Bake for about 15 minutes, depending on how brown you like the edges.
While they are baking, boil on the stove- 1/3 C apricot jam and a couple tablespoons of water until it is nice and runny and smooth.
After they have been removed from the oven, using the pastry brush, brush the apricot jam over each individual pastry.
These are delicious both warm and cool.

These are so perfect for the fall season which is finally here!  So enjoy!