Patisserie Danoise, Chelsea Buns

Chef Gert's Delightful Danish Pastries

The lesson plan today was to make some yummylicious Danish pastries, and who better to show us how than the jolly Great Dane himself, Chef Gert.

With a good pastry dough, various fillings to choose from and no set rules, the possibilities are endless. And precisely for that reason, we made such a huge variety of pastries that I shall have to present them in installments. Read on for more mouthwatering pictures.

The Various Guises Of Pastry...Monkey Face?

The dough is rolled out and cut into squares. Feel free to make them bigger if you're hungry, which I always am, but this time I'm keeping them small just so that I can make more of them.

The dough can be baked plain or with some pastry cream, to be topped with fresh fruits after. Alternatively, sturdier fruits such as apricots and sour cherries can be added before baking.

Bear Paws

The dough can also be filled with cream cheese or pastry cream and cut to form the "paws". Fanned out, they look remarkably fancy.

Hazelnut Twists

For a more intricate look, fill the dough with hazelnut paste, slice into rectangles and make a small cut in the middle. Push one end through the cut and pull out to straighten, or well, twist.

Topping With Apricot, Apply & Streusel, Brushing On Apricot Glaze

Brushed on while the baked pastries are still warm, the apricot glaze is better absorbed and gives the pastries a lovely, golden shine and a sweet finish.

 

Snails

Filling, Rolling, Doing The Twist

Slap on the filling of your choice, in our case a butter-cinnamon-sugar spread, throw in some raisins, roll up the dough like a cigar, slice and bake, individually or together in a round tin.

If you like, you can even on drizzle some fondant for added color and a fancier finish.

Chelsea Buns

Like the Danish pastries, cinnamon syrup was brushed onto the buns for a sweet shine. And just like the pastries, the texture of the Chelsea buns was pure bliss. Soft and flaky, it gave just enough resistance before melting into a buttery goodness in your mouth.

Chef's Beloved Danish Kringle

Kringles are the Danish version of pretzels, and a favorite of Chef Gert's. He shared his secret recipe for a kick-ass filling, of which I cannot and shall not divulge, I can only say it does not include apricot jam or whipped cream (his all time favorites). That said, the sweet cinnamon butter spread will make a worthy substitute.

But wait, there's more! To the filling he added pastry cream and white chocolate buttons before rolling the dough into a gigantic sausage, laid it onto a baking tray in the shape of, what else, a pretzel, sprinkled on some slivered almonds and sugar, then he baked.

The result was to die for. Soft and crunchy, sweet and cinnamony, light and buttery, every bite was sheer joy to behold.

My Sweet, Sticky Buns

I tossed in as much currents as the dough could carry, coz I know how disappointing it can be when you pay a big sum for a tiny roll at the shops only to find it sorrily lacking in fruit. So I did the buns some justice and myself a favor, and made it the way I would like to eat it. That is how all food should be prepared, don't you agree?

I left the syrup on the stove for far too long, and it boiled down to a thick, honey-like syrup, which I poured onto the buns anyway, and to my surprise, they soaked right through, leaving a layer of sweet,  gooey, sticky goodness to lick off my fingers afterward!

Danish Galore!

I made close to 50 little danishes today. Hold the fertility jokes please, I'm serious. It's a good dilemma to be in, coz these babies tastes amazing, especially straight out of the oven. I see many happy brekkies in the weeks ahead.