Cuban and Spanish Pastries (Pasteles/Pastelitos) Easy Cuban and Spanish Recipes

By pattie_d

Delicate puff pastries filled with tropical fruits, cream cheese, and even meat!

This is a new twist on a very Cuban delicacy! In Miami we call it "Pastel de Guayaba y Queso". I renamed it and gave it a sweet kick with the ginger cream sauce! My father would have loved this version! I hope you all like this too! Enjoy!

Ingredients

• GINGER CREAM SAUCE
• 2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 stick of vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 2 Tbsp. fresh minced ginger
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 6 large egg yolks
• THE PASTRY
• 1 package (17-ounce) package puff pastry (2 sheets)
• 8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup lemon juice, fresh
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest, grated
• 1 cup guava jelly or paste
• 1/2 cup diced peeled mango
• 8 fresh mint sprigs for garnish
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar for sprinkling

Details

Preparation time 30mins
Cooking time 120mins
Adapted from icuban.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Roll out each of the puff pastry sheets on a lightly floured surface to a 13 by 12-inch rectangle. Trim each of the pastry sheets to a 10-inch square and cut each into quarters to make a total of 8 (5-inch) squares. Fold 1 square diagonally in half to form a triangle and place on a work surface with the folded side closest to you.

3. Starting 1/2-inch from the bottom corners of the triangle, cut a 1/2-inch border along the top 2 sides, leaving the folded side and the 2 bottom corners intact. Unfold the triangle and using your finger, brush the 1/2-inch strips with water. Fold the right strip underneath the left strip and the left strip over the right strip, wet sides down, and press firmly into place to make a diamond shape with raised borders. Repeat the process with the remaining squares.

4. Place the pastries on the prepared baking sheet and refrigerate until chilled, about 15 minutes.

5. Bake until set and light golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer the pastries to a wire rack to cool.

6. To plate the dish, pour about 3 tablespoons of the creme anglaise onto each of 8 dessert plates, and place a puff pastry shell in the center of each plate.

7. Place 2 tablespoons of the guava jelly in the center of each of the shells, then pipe about 3 tablespoons of the cream cheese filling over the jelly into the center of each shell in a pretty fashion.

8. Place a tablespoon of the diced mango on the side of each of the cream cheese tops, and garnish each shell with fresh a mint leaf and powdered sugar. ENJOY!