Let It Grow
By Tammy Thornton
Looking for an easy Valentine’s or Galentine’s dessert? Using only a few ingredients, these flaky puff pastry hearts will impress the special people in your life. While you can make this dessert any time of year with different shapes and various fruits, we think that hearts, whipped cream and strawberries are the perfect combination for a Valentine’s treat.
If you have never worked with puff pastry, you’ll want to get acquainted with this buttery, layered dough that can be kept in your freezer waiting for impromptu occasions. As the pastry bakes in the oven, it will puff up and expand into beautiful, flaky layers. You can use puff pastry as a lovely base for both sweet and savory dishes. For February, we are going to lean into our sweet side, if only just for a day.
You will find puff pastry in the frozen food section of your grocery store. Before rolling out your pastry hearts, be sure to defrost the dough for 20-40 minutes at room temperature, just until it is pliable. Similar to pie pastry, you want to be able to roll the dough, but you want the butter in the dough to remain cold so that it will form flaky layers as it bakes. You can also defrost the dough in the refrigerator for four hours or overnight.
Once the dough is thawed, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Unwrap one sheet of puff pastry, and roll it out on a floured surface. Only roll the dough enough to smooth out the creases. Be sure to retain the rectangular shape. Using a cookie cutter, cut heart shapes out of the dough and place them on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Brush the tops of the hearts with an egg wash (one egg whisked with a tablespoon of water). Bake your puff pastry hearts for 10-15 minutes until they are golden brown. Allow the hearts to cool completely.
Now for the filling. Whip one cup of heavy cream with one tablespoon of powdered sugar and one teaspoon of vanilla extract. You can do this by hand, but it will be much easier with a mixer. Continue to beat until soft peaks form. Carefully cut the cooled pastry hearts in half using a serrated knife, and dollop the bottom halves with your whipped cream. If you are feeling extra fancy, use a piping bag and tip for a professional look. Place slices of washed and dried fresh strawberries on top of the cream, then replace the heart topper.
At this point, you can use some creativity. A simple dusting of powdered sugar will make a lovely presentation for your dessert hearts. However, you may want to invite a little chocolate to the occasion and add a drizzle of melted chocolate or Nutella to the top of the hearts. For variation, you can also skip the cream and fill the inside of the hearts with Nutella or a sour cream icing filling. You may also want to substitute raspberries or other fresh fruit for the strawberries.
We would love to see your own take on puff pastry hearts. Send your comments, questions and photos to shorelocalgardener@gmail.com.
Tammy Thornton lives with her husband, children, and crazy pets while enjoying a life of gardening, cooking, and going to the beach.
