Croissants with vanilla cream
Puff Pastry Rolls with Vanilla Cream - A Festive Delight
Welcome to my kitchen! Today we will prepare a dessert that will not only impress your guests but also bring joy to everyone’s hearts: puff pastry rolls with vanilla cream. This dish is easy to make, even though it may seem tedious at first, and the result is a refreshing and visually appealing dessert, perfect for any festive meal.
Preparation Time
- Preparation time: 30 minutes (plus 2 hours for dough thawing)
- Baking time: 15-20 minutes
- Total: Approximately 2 hours and 50 minutes
- Number of servings: 40 rolls
Ingredients
For the rolls:
- 2 packages of puff pastry (900 g)
For the vanilla cream:
- 750 ml milk
- 1 vanilla bean
- 270 g sugar
- 6 egg yolks
- 100 g butter
- 90 g cornstarch
Brief History
Puff pastry rolls filled with vanilla cream have become a classic dessert in many culinary cultures. Puff pastry, with its fine and crispy layers, was created as a way to enhance texture and add a rich flavor to various sweet delights. Vanilla cream, a staple ingredient in pastry, provides an elegant note and an unmistakable aroma. Together, these elements create a memorable culinary experience.
Step by Step - Your Guide to Delicious Rolls
1. Thawing the Dough
Remove the puff pastry from the freezer about 2 hours before starting the preparation process. It is essential that the dough is completely thawed to be easily rolled.
2. Preparing the Work Surface
Dust the work surface with flour to prevent the dough from sticking. Place a sheet of puff pastry on the floured surface and sprinkle a little flour on top as well.
3. Rolling the Dough
Use a rolling pin to roll out the puff pastry sheet. If you have a dough measuring 30 cm x 30 cm, roll it out to approximately 45 cm x 45 cm. Make sure the dough is evenly rolled to achieve perfect rolls.
4. Cutting the Strips
Cut the dough into strips about 2 cm wide. These strips will be rolled around cones.
5. Rolling the Dough
Take a cone and, starting from its tip, roll a strip of dough around it. Continue rolling until the cone is completely covered. Here’s an important tip: do not lift the strips off the surface, as this can lead to excessive stretching of the dough.
6. Baking the Rolls
Place the rolls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 200 °C. If you desire a more attractive appearance, you can brush the rolls with a little milk or water using a silicone brush and sprinkle sugar on top. Bake the rolls for 15-20 minutes or until they become golden and crispy.
Preparing the Vanilla Cream
1. Infusing the Milk with Vanilla
Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Place the seeds and the pod in the milk that you will heat in a double-bottomed stainless steel pot. Reserve about 100 ml of milk to mix later with the cornstarch and egg yolks.
2. Mixing with Egg Yolks
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar using a whisk. Add a little of the reserved milk and mix well. Then, incorporate the cornstarch and the rest of the milk, homogenizing everything.
3. Heating the Milk
When the milk starts to boil, gradually pour it into the egg yolk mixture, continuously mixing to avoid coagulation. Once all the milk is integrated, pour the mixture back into the stainless steel pot.
4. Cooking the Cream
Cook the cream over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens and reaches a pudding-like consistency. Once thickened, remove the cream from the heat and add the butter. Cover the surface of the cream with cling film to prevent a crust from forming and let it cool completely.
5. Filling the Rolls
Once the cream has cooled, fill a piping bag with it and pipe the cream into the puff pastry rolls. They can also be filled with whipped cream or another cream, such as chocolate cream, for a different twist.
Serving Suggestions
These rolls are perfect for serving at a festive meal, but they can also be a wonderful dessert for a gathering with friends. You can decorate them with a little powdered sugar on top or with a chocolate sauce for an extra flavor boost.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can I fill them with something other than vanilla cream?
Yes, you can try filling them with whipped cream, chocolate cream, or even fruit jams for a different taste.
2. Can I make these rolls a day in advance?
It is recommended to fill them with vanilla cream a few hours before serving to avoid sogginess of the pastry.
3. How can I store the rolls?
Unfilled rolls can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days. Filled rolls are best consumed on the same day to maintain the crispy texture of the puff pastry.
Nutritional Benefits
This dessert, while delicious, should be consumed in moderation. A serving of rolls contains approximately 180-200 calories, depending on the filling chosen. The vanilla cream provides a good source of calcium from milk, and vanilla is known for its antioxidant properties.
Now that you have all the necessary information, it’s time to get cooking! Puff pastry rolls with vanilla cream are not just a dessert, but an experience to enjoy with your loved ones. Enjoy your meal!
First, we take the dough out of the freezer about 2 hours before we start rolling the cones (or cylinders, depending on the shapes we have. I liked the cones at the store). Once it has thawed, we dust the work surface with flour and then place one of the sheets on it, also dusting it with flour. We roll out the dough with a rolling pin enough to allow us to roll it up. I had a dough of 30cm/30cm and rolled it out to about 45cm/45cm. We cut strips about 2 cm wide that we will roll onto the cones starting from the tip. We place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake them in a preheated oven at 200°C until they are lightly golden. If you want them to look nicer, you can brush them with a little milk or water using a silicone brush and sprinkle sugar on top. Vanilla Cream The vanilla cream I used is the classic pastry cream used for éclairs, tarts, cream puffs, etc. First, we extract the seeds from the vanilla pod and add them to the milk that we put on the heat. We heat the milk in a double-bottomed stainless steel saucepan. We reserve about 100 ml of milk to mix with the cornstarch and egg yolks. In a separate bowl, we whisk the egg yolks with the sugar, then pour in a little milk and continue with the cornstarch. We add the rest of the milk and mix well. When the milk is heated, we pour it slowly in a thin stream over the egg yolk mixture (to prevent the yolks from coagulating), continuously whisking. When the mixture is homogeneous, we pour it back into the saucepan and stir continuously until it starts to thicken, having the consistency of a pudding. We remove it from the heat and incorporate the butter, then cover the surface of the cream with plastic wrap and refrigerate. The cream must be cooled before we fill the cones. Once cooled, we fill a piping bag with the cream and pipe it into the cones. They can also be filled with whipped cream or another cream, like chocolate! Enjoy your meal! When we place the strips on the cones, we do not lift the strips off the surface; we start from one end and gradually roll until we finish. If we lift the strip, it will stretch too much and become soggy!
Ingredients: for 40 rolls: 2 packages of puff pastry (900 g) Cream: 750 ml milk 1 vanilla pod 270 g sugar 6 egg yolks 100 g butter 90 g starch
