Right when I discovered my love for coffee, I discovered Tierra Mia. It’s my second home. You’ll usually find me there in the evenings either typing at my laptop to edit these videos, or sitting across from a new face. I love meeting people for the first time over a good cup of latte.
But of course this video is not about that Cubano Con Leche I have the baristas make piping hot for me; this video is about the delicious accompaniment to that latte. The cheese and guava filled pastry is a popular dessert in Latin America. Porto’s Cafe has a similar version. But that doesn’t matter because mine tastes so much fresher and better simply because that pastry is going from the oven straight to my mouth. It’s warm, flaky and that guava gives it such a delicious kick. And I didn’t lie when I said “I’m bagging these up and taking them with me to Tierra Mia,” because I did!
Guava and Cheese Pastry
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry
- 1/4-1/2 cup guava paste can be found at a Mexican store
- 1/2 oz cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 6 tbsp confectioner's sugar
- raw sugar/turbinado for garnish
- milk to brush the pastry
Instructions
- Roll out the puff pastry sheet thin. Sprinkle flour if the dough gets tacky.
- Cut the sheet into 16 rectangles.
- Add a spoon of guava paste onto half of the rectangles.
- In a bowl, mix cream cheese and confectioner's sugar really well. It's fine if the cream cheese has lumps unless you want to use a mixer to mix (unnecessary).
- Now drop a spoon of this cream cheese on top of the guava paste. Smear the filling but don't spread it to the edges.
- Brush the edges with milk so the tops can seal.
- On the remaining puff pastry rectangles, make three slits with a knife in the center. These will be the top layers of the pastry.
- Press slit pastry rectangles onto the filled ones and press gently with your finger. If you use a fork to crimp the edges, the pastry will not rise as much so just use a gentle touch when sealing the egdes.
- Brush the tops of the pastry with cold milk and sprinkle with raw sugar.
- Let the pastries chill in the freezer for 10 minutes. Next, bake at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until deep golden brown.
- Let cool for 10 minutes and enjoy with that coffee!
