puff pastry hearts with mascarpone cream

By ctozzi

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour for dusting
• 1 package frozen puff pastry dough, thawed
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided, plus extra
• 3 ounces raspberries, plus extra for garnish
• 1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped
• 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1 tablespoon orange-flower water
• Chocolate syrup for garnish
• Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°.

On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry dough to a ¼-inch thickness. Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter or a paring knife, cut the dough into 12 heart shapes. Cut out the center of 6 of the hearts, and discard them, leaving 6 heart-shaped rings. Place the hearts and heart-shaped rings on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, brush with water, sprinkle with granulated sugar, and place in the oven for 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, purée the raspberries in a blender with ½ cup sugar, and set aside.

In a bowl, combine the ricotta, whipped cream, mascarpone, ¼ cup sugar and orange-flower water, and mix until creamy.

Distribute the raspberry purée among 6 plates. Arrange a whole heart on each plate, and cover with a thin layer of mascarpone cream. Place a heart-shaped ring on top to form 6 heart-shaped vol-au-vents. Fill the center with more mascarpone cream. To serve, drizzle with the chocolate syrup, garnish with raspberries, and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.