So it’s February, still a bit early for a Sinterklaas recipe, but I’m actually late with this Apricot Puff Pastry Letter. I had meant to publish it just before Sinterklaas 2021, but I didn’t get around to do it. So here it is, better late than never and certainly in time for Sinterklaas 2022.
A puff pastry letter or banketletter is a traditional food served around Sinterklaas. It’s puff pastry wrapped around almond paste. A real treat around those days. It’s usually in the shape of an S (the first letter of Sinterklaas), or a bar, then it’s called a banketstaaf. This Dutch letter with apricot is a variation on the traditional one. Instead of almond paste, you stuff the puff pastry with a paste of apricots and walnuts. A banketletter with apricot is equally delicious and sweet. The recipe is from Boodschappen magazine.
Other Sinterklaas recipes with a twist are the Spiced Cupcakes, the Pancake Surprise Cake and the Kruidnoten Tiramisu.
Review
I didn’t have enough apricots or walnuts, so had a little less paste than the original recipe, but still had enough paste to stuff the puff pastry. Used 220 grams of apricots instead of 300 grams and had 35 grams of walnuts instead of 50 grams. I topped the puff pastry with pecans instead of walnuts.
Comment below if you’re going to try it out, if you have any questions and tag #cosetteiscookin when you post pictures on your socials.
Apricot Puff Pastry Letter
Allergies: nuts, apricots, citrus fruit, egg, gluten, wheat.
Ingredients
220 grams dried apricots (without a pit)
35 grams walnuts
10 pecan halves
2 oranges
1 egg
Flour
6 sheets of puff pastry
Instructions
Thaw the puff pastry. Rasp the oranges for the zest, you need approximately 1 tablespoon.
Grind apricots with walnuts, orange zest and half of the egg in the food processor into a paste.
On a floured surface shape the paste into a roll.
Place the puff pastry sheets next to each other. Place the apricot paste roll on top off it. Wrap the puff pastry around the roll. Press the sides. Turn it upside down, and shape it into the letter S. Cover in egg wash. Decorate with pecans.
Bake in a preheated 200°C/392°F oven for 30 minutes. Take it out of the oven and let it cool down till lukewarm before serving.
Notes:
- Recipe source is the Boodschappen magazine.
- Enough for 4 persons as a snack.
- You can replace the walnuts in the paste with pecans. Vice versa you can replace the pecans on top with walnuts.
- The puff pastry letter is usually served cold.
- For more apricot paste use 300 grams of dried apricots and 50 grams of walnuts.
