CHOCOLATE FILLED JESUITA PASTRIES

Chocolate Filled Jesuita Pastries, a flaky puff pastry with a slight crunch of almonds, is my contemporary variation of Jesuitas.  Inspired by a recent trip to the town of Guimarães, the first capital of Portugal, I created this version for my grandson. It is unlike the traditional Jesuitas, which have a more compressed puff pastry. The traditional one has  sweet egg yolk cream filling and is topped with meringue before baking. Yet, (recipe in Authentic Portuguese Cooking), both have the traditional triangular shape imitating the hats worn by the Jesuit priests. Nonetheless, some bakers will leave the triangular shape with a point and others have the point cut across. This is extremely simple and it is fun for chocolate loving big kids to make. Store bought frozen puff pastry makes this a cinch to make on short notice.

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 thaw in the refrigerator)

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

2 egg whites, well beaten

1/2  teaspoon cinnamon

Sliced almonds

Apricot jelly

Preheat oven to 400 °F

1.  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. Slide the pastry onto the sheet of parchment paper.

2. Unwrap the chocolate bars. Now, place them side by side, on one side of the rectangle, closest to you. Place the short sides of the chocolate bars facing you, but leave about 1/4 inch border around the edges. Beat the egg whites with the cinnamon until soft peaks form. Brush the edges with some of the beaten egg white. Now, fold the other side of the dough over the chocolate bars, pressing the edges to seal.

3.  Slide the parchment paper with the pastry onto a sheet pan. 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, along the pastry from one side to the other. This will make the triangles .  Generously scatter the sliced almonds over the wet egg white.  Bake in the preheated oven until golden, about 35-40 minutes.

5.  In the meantime, 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 syrup. Let the glaze dry before serving. Chocolate filled Jesuita pastries may not have the traditional filling, but in any event, it will please the chocolate lover’s palate.