Chocolate Filled Jesuita Pastries

Chocolate Filled Jesuita Pastries, a  flaky, chocolaty puff pastry with a slight crunch of almonds, is my contemporary variation of Jesuitas I created from  inspiration on a recent trip to the town of  Guimarães in northern Portugal.  Although it is unlike the traditional Jesuitas that have a more compressed puff pastry   sweet egg cream filling and topped with meringue before baking, (Recipe in my book Authentic Portuguese Cooking), both have the traditional triangular shape imitating the hats worn by the Jesuit priests. Some bakers leave the triangular shape with a point and others have the point cut across. This contemporary version is extremely simple and it is fun for chocolate loving kids to make as well. Store bought frozen puff pastry makes this a cinch to make on short notice.  

Makes about one dozen

Ingredients:

Parchment paper

Sheet pan

14 ounces puff pastry dough made with butter (Dufour, although pricey, is a very good brand for a substitute- just though in the refrigerator)

6  chocolate bars, regular size , like Hershey or your favorite chocolate bar

2 Egg whites, well beaten

Sliced almonds

Apricot jelly

 

Preheat oven to 400 °F

1.  First, to make these Chocolate Filled Jesuita Pastries, very lightly, flour your 1/8 workspace. Open your sheet of puff pastry dough and lay it on the floured surface. Roll out your dough in a rectangle to a scant 1/8 of an inch thin. Turn the dough so that the long side is facing you.

2. Unwrap the chocolate bars and place them side on one side of the rectangle closest to you with the short side of the chocolate bars facing you but leaving about ¾ of an inch border around them.    Brush the edges some of the egg white and fold the other side of the dough over the chocolate bars, pressing the edges to seal.

3.  Slide the pastry onto the sheet of parchment paper.  Brush the top of the folded pastry with the remaining beaten egg white.

4.  Using a sharp knife, make cuts, about every 4 inches, in a zigzag diagonal pattern, from one side to the other,  to make triangles as shown in photo.  Generously scatter the sliced almonds over the wet egg white.  Bake the preheated oven until golden, about 35-40 minutes.

5.  Meanwhile, mix ½ cup of the apricot jelly with 3 tablespoons boiling water and stir until well blended.

When the pastry is done, remove from the oven and lightly brush the tops with the apricot mix. Let dry and cool before serving.