APRICOT AND PISTACHIO MARZIPAN DANISH

Apricot and Pistchio Marzipan Danish

It started as a way to use up the copious amount of Dried Apricot Preserves I had to make for a photo. And it has ended up as something I will need to go the gym to pay penance for, a LOT of RPM….ouch, I can feel the saddle imprint already. However…completely worth the pain of the classes to come…just for a mouthful of this. Seriously, if you are into Danish pastries at all, this is so easy and could be on my Christmas breakfast table this year I think.

What do you think? Bake and Celebrate??

NEED:

2 sheets commercial puff pastry, thawed

1/2 batch Dried Apricot Preserves

250g sugar

130g blanched almonds

130g pistachios, shelled

1/2 tsp almond essence

1 tsp Heilala vanilla bean paste

20g cornflour (corn starch)

1 egg white

DO:

Make jam if you have not already done so. It must be cold.

Place sugar into Thermomix bowl and mill 10 sec/speed 10.

Add almonds and pistachios and mill 20 sec/speed 7.

Add orange blossom water, almond essence, vanilla, cornflour and egg white and blend 40 sec/speed 5.

Tip mixture out onto piece of baking paper, dusted with cornflour, wrap and cool in fridge. You must not put the warm ‘marzipan’ onto the pastry.

Preheat oven to 220°C and line a baking tray with paper.

Arrange pastry on prepared tray and spread the centre of both with jam. (Be generous now!)

Roll a piece of the marzipan and place down the centre of the pastry. Cut slashes into each side of the pastry sheet on the diagonal. Fold these over on top of the filling and tuck in the ends. It should look like a lattice of sorts.

Brush with egg wash and cook for 15-17 minutes or until golden and smelling yummy!

Slice and eat, but please wait until the jam has cooled a little…it is hotter than the sun! (I know this, and have the blister to prove it!)

Enjoy!