If you are really busy as I assume you are, pick up a box or two of ready-made puff pastry. You can make so many things. One of the things you should make is a Lemon Braid.
If you are having guests for breakfast or brunch a little smear of mascarpone and some lemon curd and you have quick treat.
Because I made an angelfood cake for our birthday girl this week, I had so many yolks and so what to do with all those yolks. One of the recipes I made was Improved Lemon Curd. I took that lemon curd and made Lemon Braid with a smear of mascarpone. Easy-peasy.
Puff pastry has been on my bucket list for some time now, maybe even more so since I read a woman in France’s child made it. I don’t know exactly how old she is, but she still rides a school bus so she has to be pretty young. But, just when I talked myself in to giving it a try I could not find my European butter that I am so fond of. European butter has less water content. I read that France is having a butter shortage so that may be the problem. I have moved my bucket list up to next year and went with ready made.
You can use a quick drizzle of confectioners’ sugar after the pastry cools, but I liked just a dusting of confectioners’ sugar. You are the boss.
So if you are super busy take my advice and take the shortcut and make your life a little easier for the holidays. Just remember to take the pastry out of the freezer and put it in the refrigerator to thaw the night before, then you are ready to go.
- 1 sheet of puff pastry
- ½ cup lemon curd
- 1 tablespoon confectioners sugar – make it pretty.
- 4 oz mascarpone
- A pinch of salt (anytime you have sweet you need a pinch of salt for balance.)
- 1 yolk and 1 tablespoon of water to brush the top pastry for browning.
- Preheat oven to 400 °F.
- Defrost puff pastry in the refrigerator the night before you intend to use it.
- On a sheet of parchment lay out the pastry.
- On each side make equal slanted cuts about a third of the way into the pastry.
- Leave the middle third to spread the mascarpone and lemon curd.
- Tuck the end over so the mascarpone and lemon curd does not leak out the end of the braid.
- Then take a strip from each side and lay one strip over the other strip.
- Place the braid back in the refrigerator to make sure it is cold.
- Brush with the beaten yolk and a tablespoon of water.
- Move the pastry with the parchment paper on to a baking sheet.
- Then place in the oven and bake until it puffs and turns brown, about 18 - 20 minutes.
- Remove when browned and let cool on a cooling rack.
- When cool sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.
I am taking this to
COOKING AND CRAFTING WITH J & J
CINDY’S AT AMAZE ME MONDAY
SUSAN’S AT METAMORPHOSIS MONDAY
CHARLENE’S AT BUSY MONDAY’S
DEBBIE’S AT CONFESSIONS OF A PLATE ADDICT
THELOULOUGIRLS LINK PARTY
KATHRYN’S AT HTTP://WWW.THEDEDICATEDHOUSE.COM
LAURIE’S AT SNICKERDOODLE CREATE-BAKE-MAKE LINK PARTY
LORI’S AT TICKLE MY TASTEBUDS
KIM’S AT WOW US WEDNESDAY
MIZ HELEN’S AT MIZ HELEN’S COUNTRY COTTAGE
MICHAEL’S AT FOODIE FRIDAY
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