Lavender Sweet Cheese Pastries
The marrying of the flowers and cheeses of province in a sweet pastry
turns out to be a joyous combination. The delicate sweet scent of lavender
forms the perfect backdrop for the honey sweetened goat cheese filling.
Dried lavender flowers are available in most health food stores. These are
the ones to look for - not the artificially scented types used in
potpourri. Make sure to select a mild, neither aged nor spiced goat cheese.
The inspiration for this recipe came from Beth Hensperger's wonderful book,
Bread.
Dough:
Add to your bread machine in the order given, program for knead and first
rise and press start, Meanwhile prepare the filling. At the end of the
cycle remove the dough and proceed with completing the pastries.
1/4 cup milk
2 extra large eggs
6 tablespoons of unsalted butter - melted
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon. salt
3 1/4 cup unbleached white flour
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind or 1/2 teaspoon lemon oil
1 tablespoon dried lavender flowers
1 tablespoon yeast
Completing the Pastries:
Heaping 2/3 cup (6 ounces) cream cheese not whipped at room temperature
Heaping 2/3 cup (6 ounces) fresh goat cheese at room temperature
1/4 cup honey
1 egg yolk
finely grated rind of one lemon
Confectioners sugar for dusting
To make the filling - either by hand or in a food processor combine all
ingredients except the confectioners sugar- mix until smooth. Lightly
grease 2 heavy duty cookie sheets. Place the dough on a lightly floured
work surface. Cut the dough into 4 pieces and working one piece at a
time, and using as little additional flour as possible, roll it out into a
12 x 8 inch rectangle. Use a long sharp knife or pastry wheel to cut this
into six 4 inch squares. Place a heaping tablespoon of the filling in
the center of each square. Bring one side over to form a rectangle and
pinch the edges to seal them closed. Place the pastries 2 inches apart on
the prepared cookie sheets.
Allow the pastries to rise, uncovered in a warm draft-free place until
doubled in bulk. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees . with the rack in the
center position. Bake the pastries for 15 to 18 minutes or until the tops
are puffed and golden. Transfer them with a metal spatula to a rack to
cool. Just before serving dust with the confectioners sugar.
Enjoy,
Judi
jburley@worldtel.com