Flavourful flakiness


When I was little my sister and I frequented a convenience store nearby our house. The store was a kids' dream – full of an endless variety of candy. While I would often go for hard, sugary candies like 'gobstoppers', my sister typically went for a yummy pastry filled with jam and cream, aptly named ‘passion flakie’.

Over time I have also come to appreciate creamy, flaky pastry items. While I do sometimes crave the trashy flavours of a store-bought, plastic-wrapped dessert, most often I decide to recreate a fresh, somewhat healthier version at home.
So here it is – my version of the passion flakie. I used fresh rhubarb to make a rhubarb, ginger and raspberry compote for a much more adult and classy version of this dessert. I made a cream cheese filling; sweet, creamy and vanilla-flecked. I used puff pastry – store-bought because I didn’t have the time or energy to make puff pastry and well, I just don’t make it as beautifully as I would like to. Once assembled together, these delicious little puffs of cream and sweet-sourness were devoured by my husband – just a few left!


rhubarb, raspberry and ginger cream puffs
makes about 10 little puffs – depending on how generously you fill them!

puff
1 package puff pastry
flour for dusting
icing sugar for sprinkling

compote
300g rhubarb, cut into 2 inch pieces
100g raspberries – frozen is fine
1/2  tsp grated fresh ginger
250ml water
30g raw sugar
2 inch piece lemon peel
1/2 vanilla bean

cream cheese
125g low fat cream cheese
1tbsp thickened cream
1 tbsp dark agave syrup
juice of a lemon wedge

Preheat oven to 220 degrees C
For the pastry: dust surface with flour and roll out pastry.  Using a cookie cutter, cut out 8cm circles and place onto baking sheet lined with baking paper. Place tray of pastry in fridge while prepping other ingredients.
For compote: place all ingredients except raspberries into pot and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes or until rhubarb is just soft. Take out rhubarb and add raspberries. Cook until thickened and raspberries have broken down. Add rhubarb back into pot and adjust for sweetness. Take off heat and let cool.
For cream cheese filling: bring cream cheese to room temperature, mix with other ingredients and place into fridge until ready to assemble.
Dust pastry with icing sugar and place into hot oven. Bake 5-6 minutes or until golden. Take out, let cool and slice through the middle to create two halves.  Assemble the puffs, first with a layer of cream and then compote, add the top layer and dust generously with icing sugar. Enjoy!

           


18 comments:

  1. These look beautiful, I love the rhubarb & ginger filling and they look so light and flaky. I couldn't take just one though!! :D

    ReplyDelete
  2. Those are beautiful! I love the combo of sweet creaminess and flaky pastry! I'm certain I could not each just one! And your pictures are stunning! : )

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a lovely memory! You really would only let me take one??

    ReplyDelete
  4. I don't think I could stop at one. These look delicious and I love the name "passion flakie".

    ReplyDelete
  5. These look heavenly! Love all the flavors and textures together!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Mmm they look delicious. I love flakey pastries.
    Beautiful photos!

    ReplyDelete
  7. These puffs look amazing! I think I want one right now!

    ReplyDelete
  8. These look amazing! if they were in my house I am sure none will be left!
    amazing pictures as always

    ReplyDelete
  9. I know myself better then to promise to only eat one; oh my gosh I want to eat them all now... please?!

    Fantastic photos and thank you for making my stomach ache for these!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh, my, these look amazing!!! Beautiful, mouth watering photos! I know I'd want seconds :)

    I'm a new follower...your blog is lovely~

    ReplyDelete
  11. That looks silly delicious. I want to dive into my computer and eat one. YUM!

    New to your blog; happy I found you!

    Mary xo
    Delightful Bitefuls

    ReplyDelete
  12. I am a recent cream puff fan... they were always too messy for me, however, some of the more interesting flavors (like yours!) have me craving them!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wow! Those are beautiful!
    And your photos are just gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thanks for the lovely comments friends (and new followers) - I couldn't eat just one either. These are dangerously delicious treats! Best of luck in your baking adventures. b

    ReplyDelete
  15. Lovely! I was at a farm on Saturday and got to learn a little bit about rhubarb plants. I knew nothing and now I am slightly aware. lol

    ReplyDelete
  16. Oh, how divine...and wrapped up in a memory too :-)

    ReplyDelete
  17. I love the colors and this looks so delicious I can almost taste it!

    ReplyDelete
  18. OH! Flakies! i used to split mine, eat the top, then eat the bottom half with all the filing on that side. Strange, I know. How delicious these sound, B, I have rhubarb compote in my fridge as it happens, and can't think of a nicer fate for it. xox

    ReplyDelete