Prune and Walnut Crecents |
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Prep Time: 60 Minutes Cook Time: 90 Minutes |
Ready In: 150 Minutes Servings: 5 |
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These pastries are best when freshly baked, so if you plan on giving them to someone who may not be able to serve them within a day or two, you should deliver them frozen, along with the baking instructions. Ingredients:
2 sticks (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces |
1 (8-oz) package cold cream cheese, quartered |
1/4 cup sugar |
3/4 teaspoon salt |
2 cups all-purpose flour |
3/4 cup walnuts (3 oz), toasted |
1 cup pitted prunes (6 oz) |
1/4 cup sugar |
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon |
1 tablespoon cream sherry or water |
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water |
Directions:
1. Make pastry dough: Pulse butter, cream cheese, sugar, salt, and flour in a food processor just until a dough forms. (Do not overwork dough, or pastry will be tough.)
2. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 6 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough and form into 2 balls, then flatten each ball into a 6-inch disk. Chill disks, each wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.
3. Make filling: Pulse walnuts, prunes, sugar, cinnamon, and Sherry in food processor until nuts are finely chopped and filling forms a thick paste.
4. Form and bake crescents: Preheat oven to 375°F.
5. Roll out 1 disk of dough (keep the other chilled) into a roughly 14-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick) on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Cut out rounds with floured cookie cutter. Chill scraps.
6. Put 1/2 teaspoon of filling in center of 1 dough round. Brush some of egg wash halfway around pastry, near edge, then fold dough over filling, forming a half-moon shape. Pinch edges to seal. Make more crescents in same manner, rerolling scraps (but only once).
7. Arrange crescents 1/2 inch apart on 2 buttered large baking sheets and lightly brush tops with egg wash. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, in middle of oven until tops are pale golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool.
8. Cooks' notes: Dough can be chilled, wrapped well, up to 1 day.
9. Filling can be made 4 days ahead and chilled, covered.
10. Unbaked filled crescents (without egg wash brushed on top) can be frozen, wrapped well in plastic wrap, 2 weeks. Thaw, then brush with egg wash before baking.
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