Don’t you just love the Academy Awards? It’s thrilling to fantasize about having an occasion to wear a dress like the ones on the red carpet while wondering if there are Spanx with that much power. We always print out the award categories and tally our own votes. That way we have a winner too, but without the speeches!
Sometimes we have a movie themed dinner if there are movies that inspire great food. Other years I get lazy and make spaghetti calling it red carpet pasta.
This year my favorite movies were The Artist and The Help, but there were a lot of good ones. The Help inspires fried chicken, that’s easy, but I think we’ll pick a French themed dessert in honor of The Artist and skip that fudge pie!
I want to see all the glamour, not fuss in the kitchen, so I’m making pretty little pastries and naming them, “May I Have the Envelope Please?” Pretty cute huh?
Even if you let the Colonel be your caterer for the fried chicken, you can whip up these yummy little beauties in a few minutes with the help of frozen puff pastry.
Puff pastry should win it’s own Oscar; it’s a superstar. From sweet to savory, you can bake almost anything in puff pastry and call yourself a chef. Once I made my own puff pastry, but I had to lie down on the sofa afterwards; it wasn’t worth it. My Oscar winning dessert will involve chocolate and raspberries because it sounds rather French and in truth because those are my favorite things. You can play around with your filling according to personal taste, but don’t hesitate to make these cute little pastries and know when anyone takes a bite you will have won the award with:
“May I Have The Envelope Please?”
Ingredients
1 box puff pastry (2 sheets)
1 dark chocolate bar 3 to 4 oz
1 cup raspberry preserves
1 egg
raw or white sugar for sprinkling pastry
optional: raspberries and ice cream for serving
Directions:
Thaw puff pastry at room temperature. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly spray with cooking spray.
Roll out one pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface to flatten a bit.
Cut each sheet into 3 long rectangles. Cut a triangular shaped end at the end of each rectangle to be the envelope flap.
Repeat with second sheet of puff pastry. (see picture)
In the center of each rectangle place 2 tablespoons of raspberry preserves and spread not getting all the way to the edge.
Place about a 2-inch piece of chocolate in the center of each rectangle.
In a small bowl, beat egg with 1 Tbsp water to make an egg wash.
Brush the edges of the pastry with the egg wash, and fold over using the tines of a fork to seal. Fold the “flap” over and brush each envelope with egg wash.
Sprinkle with sugar and place on prepared cookie sheet. * see note
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
The pastries can be served immediately or cooled to room temperature.
Makes 6
*I hate to waste puff pastry, it’s too delicious. The part left at the top from cutting the envelope flap can be cut into small shapes. I used a star cookie cutter, but you could just make a free form shape if you don’t have a cookie cutter handy. Brush with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar and bake with your pastries. Eat several when no one is looking and serve the rest as a cute little garnish.
And the winner is …..You!
