Peppermint Puff Pastry Sticks Food

PEPPERMINT CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Using a permanent marker and a 2-inch round cutter as a guide, draw 24 circles evenly spaced onto 2 sheets of parchment paper. Turn parchment over, and place on 2 baking sheets.
• In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add ½ cup (120 grams) water, milk, granulated sugar, and salt; bring to a boil. Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until a skin forms on bottom of pan, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With mixer on low speed, beat until dough is warm to the touch, about 1 minute. Add 5 eggs (250 grams) and egg white, one at a time, beating until combined after each addition.
• Transfer batter to an 18-inch piping bag fitted with a ½-inch round tip (Wilton 1A). Place piping tip in center of a drawn circle. Hold tip perpendicular ½ inch above parchment paper. Holding tip stationary the entire time, apply even pressure until batter reaches edges of drawn circle. Stop applying pressure, and lift up. Wet your finger with water, and press down tip to create a smooth top. Repeat with remaining batter. In a small bowl, whisk together remaining 1 egg (50 grams) and remaining 1 tablespoon (15 grams) water. Brush tops of batter rounds with egg wash.
• Bake for 15 minutes. Rotate pans, and bake until fully puffed and deep golden brown, about 10 minutes more. Let cool completely on wire racks.
• Using a ¼-inch round piping tip, poke a hole in center of bottom of each puff. Insert a skewer into hole, and move it around to ensure cream will fill entire puff. Place Peppermint Pastry Cream in a pipping bag fitted with same ¼-inch tip. Place piping tip into hole, and apply gentle pressure to fill. Repeat with remaining puffs and remaining Peppermint Pastry Cream.
• When ready to plate, stir together crushed peppermint candies and confectioners' sugar in a small bowl. Using a fine-mesh sieve, dust peppermint sugar mixture onto cream puffs. Garnish with peppermint candy pieces, if desired. Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to serve. Best served same day.
• In a medium saucepan, combine milk and ⅓ cup (66.5 grams) sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, just until bubbles form around edge of pan.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together cornstarch, salt, and remaining ⅓ cup (66.5 grams) sugar. Whisk in yolks until well combined. (Mixture will be very thick.) Gradually add milk mixture to yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Return mixture to saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Cook, whisking constantly, until thickened and an instant-read thermometer registers 190°F (88°C), 2 to 3 minutes.
• Remove from heat. Stir in butter and extracts until butter is melted. Strain through fine-mesh sieve into a glass bowl. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap, pressing wrap directly onto surface of pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, 2 to 3 hours or overnight.
• When ready to use, whisk pastry cream until smooth; stir in crushed peppermint candies. Use immediately.

PALMIERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°. Sprinkle a surface with 1/4 cup sugar; unfold puff pastry sheet on surface. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar. Roll into a 14x10-in. rectangle. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup sugar to within 1/2 in. of edges. Lightly press into pastry., With a knife, very lightly score a line crosswise across the middle of the pastry. Starting at a short side, roll up jelly-roll style, stopping at the score mark in the middle. Starting at the other side, roll up pastry jelly-roll style to score mark. Freeze until firm, 20-30 minutes. Cut into 3/8-in. slices., Place cut side up 2 in. apart on parchment-lined baking sheets; sprinkle lightly with 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake for 8 minutes. Turn pastries over and sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake until golden brown and glazed, about 3 minutes longer. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Store in airtight containers.

PEPPERMINT PATTIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat confectioners' sugar, milk, butter and extract until smooth. Shape into 1/2-in. balls and flatten into patties. Freeze 30 minutes. , In a microwave, melt half of candy coating at a time; dip patties into chocolate. Let excess drip off. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets until set. Store in airtight containers.

HOW TO MAKE CHEESE STICKS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• Place a sheet of frozen puff pastry dough onto a floured work surface and allow dough to thaw just until it can be unfolded. Unfold dough into a flat sheet; brush top of puff pastry dough with olive oil. Season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
• Sprinkle white Cheddar cheese and 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese onto the dough, covering the surface. Top with a piece of plastic wrap; press cheese and seasonings firmly into the dough with your fingers or by laying a sheet pan onto the dough over the plastic and pressing it down.
• Remove plastic and use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut the dough down the seam lines into thirds; cut each third lengthwise into thirds for a total of 9 breadsticks.
• Pick up a dough strip, place it seasoned side down on the work surface, and twist from both ends 8 or 9 times to make a rolled tube of dough with the seasoned side out. Place breadsticks onto prepared baking sheet.
• Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over the sticks. Roll the sticks lightly to even up their shapes and pick up and press any dropped cheese onto the surfaces.
• Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes; flip and continue baking until breadsticks are browned and crisp, 10 to 20 more minutes. If you pick up a stick by one end and it droops, bake for several more minutes. Cool on a wire rack before serving.

PEPPERMINT PUFFS

Steps:

• Stir together flour and salt in medium bowl.
• Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until smooth and creamy. Beat in egg. Beat in peppermint and vanilla extracts. On low speed, beat in flour mixture. Shape dough into a ball; wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 hour.
• Heta oven to 375. Coat baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
• Shape dough into 1 inch balls for a total of 36 cookies; place on prepared baking sheets.
• Bake at 375 for 10 to 12 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely. When cool, brush with melted white chocolate; dip in chopped candy canes. Let harden on wax paper.

PEPPERMINT STICKS

Steps:

• Coat a 12-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray, and set aside. Place sugar, corn syrup, and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan. Cover; bring to a boil. Remove lid, and cook, swirling pan occasionally, until syrup registers 305 degrees (hard-crack stage) on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and carefully stir in lemon juice, extract, and food coloring.
• Pour hot syrup onto prepared baking sheet, being careful not to touch syrup. Using a metal spatula coated with cooking spray, fold edges toward the middle (this will help cool the syrup). When it is cool enough to handle but still quite warm, using plastic gloves, strech and pull candy, folding it over onto itself before pulling again, until it is opaque and just starting to firm up, about 10 minutes.
• Immediately pull off pieces to form long pencil-thin ropes. Working quickly, cut into 7-inch lengths with a pair of kitchen scissors. Continue pulling until all candy is used or is no longer pliable.
• Temper chocolate: Heat 2/3 of chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water until chocolate registers 118 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove pan from heat, and add the remaining chocolate; stir with a rubber spatula (avoid using a wooden spoon, which can impart other flavors) until it cools to 84 degrees. Remove any unmelted pieces, and discard. Return bowl to pan, and stir until chocolate reaches 88 to 90 degrees.
• Dip top 3 inches of each pepperment stick in the chocolate, if desired. Allow excess to drip off; set on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and let harden.