Pastelitos De Guayaba Y Queso Guava And Cheese Pastry Recipes

PASTELITOS DE GUAYABA Y QUESO (GUAVA AND CHEESE PASTRY)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Allow puff pastry to thaw for 15-20 minutes.
• Unroll puff pastry, remove paper, and layer both over each other.
• Cut pastry into 3 by following the indented lines. Rotate the puff pastry and cut 3 additional lines to create 9 squares.
• Set the top layer of the puff pastry to the side.
• Add 1-2 slices of guava to each pastry (depending on your taste for guava), top with 1-2 chunks of cream cheese.
• Before returning the puffs to cover the guava and cream cheese, with the point of a knife, go ahead and add 2-3 slits to each square.
• Top the pastries with remaining squares.
• Brush the tops of the pastries with the whisked eggs.
• Bake for 15 minutes or until pastry tops are golden and the edges are the tiniest hint of brown.
• Serve warm.

PASTELITOS DE QUESO Y GUAYABA (GUAVA AND CHEESE PASTRIES)

Steps:

• In a food processor, combine the cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, and orange blossom water fluffy and smooth. Transfer mixture to a bowl and clean the food processor to use it again.
• In the same (clean) food processor, add the guava pasta and orange or lime juice and process until smooth.
• Line 2 half sheet pans with parchment paper.
• Unroll the first sheet of pastry on a lightly floured surface. If it's thicker than ⅛-inch thick, carefully roll it out to make it ⅛-inch thick. Using a small knife or pastry wheel, cut the dough to measure out 6 squares, 4-by-4-inches each.
• Add a tablespoon of the guava mixture topped with a tablespoon of cream cheese filling, off center, to each square. Brush the egg wash around the filling, fold the pastry into a triangle, and press the edges to seal. Press the tines of a fork around the sealed edges to ensure the pastry is well-sealed. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Transfer the filled pastries to the prepared baking sheets and refrigerate until firm, 20 to 30 minutes.
• While the pastries chill, preheat the oven to 400°F. Prepare the glaze by combining the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool.
• Remove the chilled pastries from the refrigerator and brush the tops of the with egg wash, then bake until lightly golden, 25 to 35 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets halfway through baking time to ensure even browning.
• Remove from the oven and immediately brush the pastries with the simple syrup (you likely won't use all of it). Allow the pastries to rest for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack.

PASTELITOS (GUAVA AND CREAM CHEESE PASTRIES)

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• Prepare an egg wash: In a small bowl, beat the egg with a pinch of salt and set aside.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll one sheet of puff pastry into an 8-by-12-inch rectangle roughly the size of a standard sheet of paper. (Keep the other puff pastry sheet in the refrigerator.) Dust off any excess flour and lay the rolled pastry sheet on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Dip a pastry brush into the egg wash, and paint a line in lengthwise along the center of the pastry sheet, followed by three crosswise lines, evenly spaced, forming a grid of 8 rectangles, each approximately 3 inches wide and 4 inches long. Brush edges with egg wash. Lay a slice of guava paste in the center of each rectangle (or dot with dollops of jam or preserves, if using). Spread some of the cream cheese, if using, on top of the guava paste (about 1 1/2 tablespoons cream cheese per pastry).
• Remove the second sheet of puff pastry from the refrigerator, and roll it out into an 8-by-11-inch rectangle, dusting with flour as needed to prevent sticking. Lay the second sheet of puff pastry on top of the first. Using the side of your palm, press around and between the mounds of filling, pressing out any excess air, and to glue the top pastry to the bottom, creating 8 even, rectangular pockets. Paint the top sheet of puff pastry with egg wash. Sprinkle the surface with sugar.
• Using a knife or bench scraper, cut out and separate the 8 pastelitos following the original grid in between the indentations in the dough. Trim the perimeter to neaten the rectangles. The dough should still be cool to the touch; if it is warm, return the pastelitos to the refrigerator on the baking sheet for 10 minutes to firm up before baking.
• Bake pastelitos until puffed and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

PASTELILLOS DE GUAYABA (GUAVA CHEESE PASTRIES)

Steps:

• Set out puff pastry to thaw for 40 minutes at room temperature.
• Once pastry is thawed, line a 12-by-17-inch baking sheet with 2 pieces of parchment paper. (The double layer helps to protect your pan when you're cutting the puff pastry.) Heat oven to 400 degrees.
• Prepare your egg wash by whisking egg and milk together. Keep it handy.
• Lay one layer of puff pastry on top of parchment paper on the baking sheet. Make a 4-by-4 grid of guava stacked with cheese, spaced evenly, leaving about 1 inch of space in between. Top with the second puff pastry sheet.
• Using a pizza cutter, slice the puff pastry into 16 equal pieces, touching the top lightly to determine where to slice. It's OK if you don't do a perfect job; these are especially good when the guava spills out and caramelizes along the edges. (And don't worry too much about getting the cut exact, or pieces being odd sizes. It gives them character.)
• Working quickly, use a fork to crimp all four edges twice on each side, then arrange them evenly on the baking sheet, leaving space between each. Brush the tops and edges lightly with the prepared egg wash and place baking sheet in the center of the oven.
• Bake for 25 minutes or until pastelillos are beautifully golden brown, flaky and puffy.
• Out of the oven, let pastelillos rest for at least 10 minutes before eating. (Guava is molten hot and will burn your mouth, badly.)
• Once they've cooled, sprinkle with confectioners' sugar to taste. They can be eaten warm or at room temperature, and will keep for several days in an airtight container. Heat leftovers in the oven for 5 minutes at 350 degrees to bring back their crispness.