Apple puffs with passionfruit custard

FLAKY PUFF PASTRY has to be the best pastry to have on hand in your freezer. It's so simple to use, you can make a multitude of different dishes - fruit pies, custard squares, vanilla slices, danishes, Vanessa's peach pastries, and savoury dishes such as Vanessa's smoked fish pie, pinwheels, turnovers, empanadas or my leftover's mexican pie but I find the best thing about this type of pastry is you don't feel like you've eaten a whole load of fat. It's light and airy and fools you into thinking, you could get away with eating more than one! Ingrid

NO TIME? USE STORE BOUGHT CUSTARD AND MIX THROUGH PASSIONFRUIT PULP

APPLE PUFFS WITH 
PASSIONFRUIT CUSTARD
MAKES 12
WHAT YOU NEED
400g flaky puff pastry (thawed and rolled out flat)
3 egg yolks (separated from the egg whites*)
1 egg (for egg wash)
100mls milk
25mls cream
75g castor sugar
4 passionfruit (pulp of)
1 apple (sliced thinly)


HOW TO MAKE
APPLE PUFFS:  Set oven temperature to 200C. Roll out pastry on a floured surface. Using a cookie cutter or a glass, cut 12 circle shapes. Brush each circle shape with egg wash (1 beaten egg mixed with 1 tablespoon of water). Add 2 slices of apple to each circle. Bake in oven for 15-20mins until pastry has puffed up and is golden. Serve hot or cold.


PASSIONFRUIT CUSTARD: In a saucepan bring milk and cream slowly to the boil. Take off the heat and reduce element to a low heat. In a bowl whisk three egg yolks and sugar until pale. Add egg mix to hot milk and stir quickly. Put saucepan back on low heat and stir until it thickens. Take off heat and add passionfruit pulp. Mix through. Pour over apple puffs.
TIP: If your stretched for time, just buy store-bought custard and mix through passionfruit pulp.


*WHAT TO DO WITH THE LEFTOVER EGG WHITES?
FREEZE: Pour into freezer bags for future use, make sure you label the bag so you know how much is in there. Alternatively you could store each egg white in an ice cube tray so you can pop one out when you need it.
MAKE: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Chocolate macaroons or Pistachio Baked Meringues from foodblog Cannelle Et Vanille

1 BEATEN EGG + 1 TBSP WATER = EGG WASH

MORE PUFF PASTRY RECIPES FROM FOODOPERA

NO FRESH FRUIT? Check out Vanessa's recipe using puff pastry and tinned peaches. 

"when you can buy pastry for about $2.00 (NZ) a block who would bother making it?"
www.foodopera.peachpastries.com


GREAT USE OF LEFTOVERS Turn leftovers into a simple mexican puff pastry pie
"So I ended up going around in circles, stressing out about cheese all week, (who does that?) only to end up whipping up a puff pastry Mexican pie using leftovers from the night before. "
www.foodopera.mexicanpie.com


HEALTHY PIE No milk or cream
"A change from the usual fish pie with mash and chock a block filled with healthy green veges, its a pie using half the amount of pastry."
www.foodopera.smokedfishpie.com