Roses with puff pastry

When I still studied at LCB, the mille-feuille, i.e thousand-sheets dough or puff pastry was one of the most basic things we have to do right from the beginning. It could be basic for someone else but not for us, the beginners! The practicing day was a big mess, like a winter battlefield with dusting flour flying all over the kitchen, our giant table became so small for a group of ten students! “Where is my rolling pin?” “Can you move a little bit, I don’t have enough space here!””Is it your baking tray or mine?”…

Big chaos but fun! The most exciting moment was to stand by at the oven, one by one, nervously checking our creations through the oven glass door! Is it looking good or bad, our very first puff pastry chef-d’œuvres!

My very first puff pastry masterpiece at Le Cordon Bleu – Chausson aux pommes and Palmier

Today I wanna show how to do a rose with puff pastry, it’s a real good looking cake and we love to do it as it’s good for presentation, decoration rather than eat!

rose_patefeuillete — Rose with puff pastry and apple

Step 1 Preparation for the dough (The détrempe)

All-purpose flour 500 gr.
Salt 10 gr.
Butter 75 gr.
Water 250 ml.

Knead all together except the tourage butter, at first speed for 5′ then 10′ at the second speed, until we get very smooth dough. Cover it with cling film and chill it in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.

Step 2 Preparation for The tourage (The beurrage)

Tourage Butter 300 gr. (dry butter is most preferred as it’s easier to handle than the regular butter)

In the same time, we can shape the tourage butter into a square one with the baking paper or kitchen plastic bag. Chill it in the fridge for 1 or 2 hours.

Step 3 Preparation for making roses

Red apple 2-3 pcs
Lime 01 pc
Apricot jam 50gr
A pinch of cinnamon (optional)

When everything is ready, let’s do it. Put the tourage butter on the dough, cover it from four angles like an envelope, roll it lengthwise with the pin and fold it from the top and then from the bottom, we fold like that 5 times.

Between each fold we let the dough rest in the fridge for at least 40 minutes. In the warm kitchen, where the temperature up to 30ºC, the butter could be melted quickly so we need to roll it quick but gently! When folding (or turn) don’t forget to dust the working surface and the dough, and do remove all extra dusting flour on the dough before folding.

mille_feuilles_2 — The completed mission – finished puff pastry after 5 folds

Now time for the apples….

013 — Slice the apples as thin as we can but not too thin

014 — Put all slices in the water with lime juice and in the micro-oven for 3-4 minutes

The montage

Cut the puff pastry into a long strip, 15-20 cm long and about 4-5 cm height, brush the apricot jam on the dough. Put apple slices along the stripe, one on another till the end.

015 — The puff pastry strip with all slices of apples. The strip could be narrower

024 — We fold the bottom edge over the apple slices

027 — put the roses in the mould to keep the shape during baking and we bake for 40′ at 170ºC

030 — Before baking you can top with a little bit of cinnamon

031 — and after 40-45 minutes in the oven

Puff pastry does take time to make, as it must rest in between folds, but it is well worth the effort as we can create many baked items with this dough. Roses is one – I love the other baked puff pastry like Chaussons aux pommes and Pateso (savory version). Hope I can share it later.