Plum Roses Marzipan Pastries

• Ingredients:

• 3 ounces raw marzipan
• 5 ounces schmand (recipe follows) 
• 2 tablespoons plum jam 
• 1 package of puff pastry (I used a brand that contained two sheets of puff pastry) 
• 5 red plums
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon water
• Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Directions:

• 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.Lo 
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees 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, 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. 
• Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. 
• Remove from oven and 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. 
• If you like, 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. 

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.