Apricot Danoises

By patticakes

These are miniature Danish pastries with light flaky pastry wrapped around apricot filling.

Ingredients

• Pastry
• 1/4 lb Chilled, unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup Cottage cheese
• 1 cup All-purpose flour
• 1/8 ts Salt
• Filling
• 2/3 cup Dried apricots (4 oz.)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 Egg white
• 1/2 cup Sliced almonds (2 oz.)
• 1/2 cup Confectioners sugar

Preparation

Step 1

Pastry
Cut butter into one inch pieces and process flour, cottage cheese and salt. Flatten into disk, wrap in plastic and chill at least 1 hr.

Filling
Put apricots, sugar and ½ cup water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally until apricots are softened, 5 to 8 minutes. Mash the apricots and set aside to cool.

Lightly beat the egg white and set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry dough to a 10 by 12 inch rectangle. Using a pastry cutter, cut dough into 30 2 inch squares. Spoon 1 teaspoon apricot filling in a ¼ inch wide diagonal line from one corner of the square to the opposite corner. Fold one blank corner to the center. Brush opposite blank corner with egg white and fold to center, stretching slightly to wrap around the pastry. Press lightly to seal. Brush tops with egg white and sprinkle with almonds. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350°. Sift confectioner’s sugar over pastries. Bake until golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on wire rack.