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Plum Roses Marzipan Pastries

Name: Plum Roses Marzipan Pastries
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Ingredients: 3 ounces marzipan; 5 ounces schmand* (recipe follows); 2 tablespoons plum jam; 2 sheets puff pastry; 5 red plums; 1 egg yolk; 1 tablespoon water; Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

by Lora Wiley-Lennartz February 12, 2016

written by Lora Wiley-Lennartz February 12, 2016

Raise your hand if those rose-shaped tarts created from apples that have been showing up everywhere on the internet in the past months make you go “ooh”. I have been ogling them for a while now. It was time to do something about it. Then I had this thought: Why limit the technique to apples? As a result, these gorgeous and delicious Plum Roses Marzipan Pastries are another version with a fresh red plum twist. Aren’t they pretty?

To create the roses, the plum slices are wrapped in puff pastry, then layered with a creamy marzipan, plum jam mixture. Marzipan may sound fancy. However, it is a common ingredient in European pastries. When marzipan is added to any recipe, it immediately elevates it to elegance. That’s my opinion, it has always been my opinion, and I am sticking to it.

The filling of these Plum Roses Marzipan Pastries also contains schmand. This can be hard to find outside of Germany. Fortunately, a schmand substitute is easy to make. The recipe is included in the recipe card below. If you cannot find schmand and you don’t want the minimal hassle of creating it yourself, no worries. Simply substitute sour cream or mascarpone cheese.

Also, feel free to mix up the jam flavor. This is a great way to use up any jam, jelly, or marmelade that is hanging out in your refrigerator for ages. Combinations of orange-plum or raspberry-plum come to mind. Consequently, a dual flavor version of these Plum Roses Marzipan Pastries will make them even tastier.

As a decorative finish, sprinkle these pastries with powdered sugar. These beauties are a stunning addition to any Valentine’s meal or any special occasion like Christmas or Mother’s Day.

Plum Roses Marzipan Pastries

Course Brunch, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine German

Keyword German Pastry, Plum Marzipan pastry, Plum Pastries, Plum roses

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Servings 14 pastries

Author Lora Wiley-Lennartz

Ingredients

3 ounces marzipan
5 ounces schmand* recipe follows
2 tablespoons plum jam
2 sheets puff pastry
5 red plums
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon water
Powdered sugar for dusting optional

Instructions

Grate the marzipan, then beat it together with the schmand until smooth.
Add the plum jam to the mixture and beat until combined.
Cut the plums in the following way: Use a sharp knife to cut into one-half of the plum, top to bottom. Cut a thin wedge out of the slice and remove it. Keep cutting thin wedges all the way around the plum. Make sure the wedges are very thin. You will need to roll the
wedges, so they need to be cut extra thin to be flexible and not break when assembling the pastries.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Roll the sheets of puff pastry out on a lightly floured work surface. You want each sheet to measure 10 x 15 inches.
Use a fork to poke holes all over the pastry.
Spread the marzipan, schmand, and plum jam mixture onto the puff pastry.
Cut the coated puff pastry into 14 1-inch by 10-inch strips.
On each strip, lay the plum wedges close together horizontally. The edges should overlap. The side of the plum wedge with the peel should all line up on one side and poke out above the edge of the puff pastry about 1/4 inch. Make sure you leave at least a half-inch on each end of just puff pastry.
Roll the plum puff pastry tightly but gently, starting at one end. Then gently tuck the loose end into the roll. Transfer each roll to the baking sheets as you finish each one.
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and the tablespoon of water. Use a pastry brush to lightly paint the sides of the puff pastry all the way around each one.
Bake for 25 minutes.
Transfer to a wire rack with the baking paper attached. Let the plum pastries cool completely before removing them from the baking paper. They will stick to the paper if they are too warm and will break apart if you try to remove them before they have cooled.
When the pastries have cooled completely, use a small strainer to dust the roses with powdered sugar for decoration.
Carefully remove each plum rose from the baking paper and transfer to a serving platter.

Recipe Notes

*To make schmand:

4 oz cream cheese
8 oz full-fat cottage cheese
Place the cottage cheese and cream cheese in a food processor or blender and process until combined. The mixture should be completely smooth before adding to any recipe.