Pithivier is a classic French dish, made of two discs of puff pastry with a filling (traditionally Frangipane, a sweet almond paste) between them.
Named after Pithiviers, the town of its’ origin, it has become known around the world. The pastry is usually large, and the filling is placed in the center, creating a dome shaped pastry. It is then elaborately decorated, with designs made with a pairing knife on top and around the edges.
To make preparing and serving easier, individual pastries were introduced. The quick version I have here is not as elaborately decorated as the classic one, but the flavors are all there, and they make for a wonderful, aromatic and tasty dessert. Using high quality store bought all-butter puff pastry, makes it even quicker to prepare, while not compromising on flavor.
If you’re looking for a last minute impressive and tasty dessert, this is the right one for you. Try it and enjoy.
Notes:
* All-butter puff pastry is crucial for the success of this pastry. Homemade dough is obviously the best, but when in a rush good quality store bought one is a good alternative.
* The Frangipane (sweet almond paste) can be prepared for up to a week in advance. The amount here is enough for 12 individual pastries, so the rest can be either kept in the fridge or frozen for up to a month. Besides using it for this pastry, it is a great base for any fruit tart or cake.
* To make the last minute preparation even faster, cut the discs in advance and place in the fridge until using.
* As with all puff pastry baking, it is crucial to keep it in the fridge until using and to make sure the oven is hot before baking. If you don’t want to end up with limp pastries that didn’t puff up properly, don’t skip these steps.
Makes: 6
Prep time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
For the Frangipane: (enough for 12 pastries. See notes)
½ stick (55 grams) butter, melted and cooled
1 1/3 cups fine almond meal
½ cup sugar
1 Tbs grated lemon zest
1 L egg
1 Tbs Amaretto liqueur (or brandy, or dark rum)
2 Tbs cornstarch
¼ cup flour
For the pastries:
14 oz (397 grams) homemade or store bought all-butter puff pastry, rolled, cold
For the egg wash:
1 L egg yolk
1 Tbs powdered sugar
½ tsp water
A few drops vanilla
1. In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients for the Frangipane. Knead to incorporate. Cover and keep in the fridge until using, and up to a week.
2. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400F (205C). Line a cookie sheet pan with baking paper.
3. Place the sheet of dough on a lightly floured work surface. With a cookie cutter, cut 12 3.5” (9 cm) discs. Mix the egg wash ingredients in a small bowl and brush the discs with it.
4. Create 6 ping-pong size balls from half of the Frangipane and place each on the center of six of the discs. Cover with the rest of the discs, egg wash side down, and attach the edges with a fork. With a sharp knife, create superficial spiral cuts over the top, and poke a small hole in the center. Brush the tops with the rest of the egg wash.
5. Bake for 15 minutes, until the pastries are puffed and golden-brown. Serve immediately.
Fantastic looking recipe. Happy holidays.
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Thank you Donald, I’m glad you liked the recipe. Happy Holidays to you too! 🙂
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Wonderful 🙂 Happy Holidays
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Thank you Sophie. Happy Holidays to you too! 🙂
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Your welcome
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Beautiful pastries! Frangipane is one of my favorite things! Wishing you a very happy holiday season!
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Thank you Becky, I’m glad you liked the recipe. I too am a big fan of Frangipane. It’s so tasty and has so many uses. Happy Holidays to you too!:)
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Awesome! I just love these golden French pastries !!
Merry Christmas & happy holidays !!!
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Thank you Megala, I’m glad you liked these tasty pastries. Happy Holidays to you too! 🙂
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Thank you !
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Loved your yummy recipe. 🙂
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Thank you Priyabrataa! 🙂
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Oh, wow! I’m getting a good vibe with this one! I have frozen pastry, a big bunch of thick custard, almond flavoring, and almond meal. I’ll bet I could whip up something resembling this. Patient may have advanced past “mush” now, so the pastry might just be a good treat.
He is drooling on my keyboard at this very moment!
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lol This one is really drool-worthy! So easy to make and so very tasty.
It definitely sounds like you have enough ingredients to make a tasty version of your own. Hope you’ll enjoy it. 🙂
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I couldn’t wait to thaw out the butter pastry, so winged it with the vanilla pudding already in the refrigerator. I added almond meal flour, yogurt, and organic almond extract. It was incredibly fabulous. I smothered mine in pistachio nuts – just because I can!
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I have friends coming to the states from France next year.. Hoping this will be a happy treat I can make for them while they’re visiting 😊
They look and read delicious..
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I’m glad you liked the recipe. I’m sure your friends will enjoy both dish and the gesture. I’ll be happy to hear you comments. Happy Holidays! 🙂
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It will be my pleasure, whether I pass or fail in my attempt ☺
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I’m sure you’ll pass with flying colors!:)
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The recipe looks very interesting Ronit.Can I substitute liqueur with some other ingredient. I want to try this.
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Thank you Ana, I’m glad you liked these tasty pastries.
If you can find Rosetta almond syrup, it can be a good substitute for the liqueur. If not, use 1 Tbs pineapple or apple juice combined with a few drops of almond extract. I hope it helps. I’ll be happy to hear your comments. 🙂
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Thank you! That’s easy. I can try your amazing recipe soon. Happy holidays💖
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Glad to know. Happy Holidays to you too. 🙂
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Perfect pleasures for Christmas ✌✌ I just love these pastries❣❣ Merry Christmas to u too🎄🎄
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Thank you Jyo, I’m glad you liked these tasty pastries. They are indeed perfect for any holiday dinner. Happy Holidays to you too! 🙂
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Looks fantastic! Happy Holidays!
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Thank you Tonya, I’m glad to hear. Happy Holidays to you too!:0
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Thank you, Ronit. 🙂
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This looks great!! Happy holidays!!!
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Thank you Aki, it’s great to hear. Happy Holidays to you too. 🙂
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It looks like the dessert of all desserts and doubtless tastes like one! Do you think it could be made with Smart Balance instead of butter?
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Thank you Dolly, I’m glad you liked these tasty pastries.
Sorry, but I can’t recommend using any substitutes here, as they will severely compromise both flavor and texture.
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I suspected as much – what a shame!
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Indeed… 😦
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These look so lovely, Ronit. Happy holidays!
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Thank you Rini! Happy Holidays to you too! 🙂
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That looks absolutely fantastic. I love almonds! Happy Holidays to you 🙂
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Thank you Karin! These tasty pastries are really perfect for anyone who loves almonds. Happy Holidays to you too! 🙂
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Happy holidays Ronit! I will try this when I find a good pastry dough! I love almond paste and mazipan.
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Thank you! I too love almonds and marzipan, especially my homemade ones.
As for the puff pastry, I used to make it often, but I got spoiled since finding top quality store bought all-butter dough…
Happy Holidays to you too! 🙂
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I like Frangipane but especially when it is in something a Christmas…it just speaks of the holidays. Merry Christmas, I hope you have had a nice one.
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Thank you Karen. I agree, frangipane is indeed suitable for festive desserts. Happy Holidays to you too. 🙂
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Exceptionally excellent.
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Thank you Payal! 🙂
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They look perfect and I would probably buy puff pastry unless of course I had the time and energy to make my own. Delicious filling…
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Thank you Judi. Ready made puff pastry definitely makes the preparation quicker. The filling is indeed delicious. 🙂
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Looks delicious 😋!!
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Thank you Deepti! 🙂
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They look so good and very tempting,Ronit….
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Thank you Swapana, I’m glad to hear! 🙂
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Delicious! Your filling looks so oozy and yum!
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Thank you Marcellina. The filling is indeed so tasty and can be used in various ways. 🙂
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Are those not the sweetest little glorious pastries!! i love frangipane (and amaretto) and am pinning this! I might have to have a dinner party just to make these – I’d be afraid to have them around the house because I probably wouldn’t be able to resist them!
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Thank you Mollie, I’m glad you liked these tasty pastries. They are indeed hard to resist! Dinner party is a good solution, but I’ve also found a simpler one – bake only 1 or 2 at a time… 🙂
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Perfect!!
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Gorgeous! You’re so talented!
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Thank you Mimi. I’m honored! 🙂
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Merry Christmas! Wow, this looks amazing! Great job on the the pastry, it looks like it came out of a bakery 🙂
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Thank you Vanessa, I’m glad you liked these tasty pastries. Happy Holidays to you too! 🙂
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The filling looks incredible!
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Thank you Krešo. It is indeed very tasty and can be used in many ways. 🙂
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Loved reading about them and reading the ingredients in the filling and your photos are making me drool.
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Thank you Sandhya! These are my to go pastries when in a rush. So easy and tasty. 🙂
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I learned something new. I hadn’t realized the relationship between puff pastry that wasn’t cold/ovens that aren’t hot enough and limp pastries.
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Thank you Sheryl, I’m glad to hear the information was helpful.
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I’m not much of a sweet-eater but, this makes my mouth water!
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Thank you Kelly, I’m glad you liked the recipe. I too am not into overly sweet desserts, so use smaller amounts of sugar. Bear in mind that in this pastry the dough has no sugar at all, so the result is far from overly sweet. Well worth trying! 🙂
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I can’t wait to try it!
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Lovely that gooey frangipane and gorgeous is the color of your flaky pastry Ronit!!! Simply adorable.
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Thank you Neha, I’m glad you liked the recipe. It’s so quick and easy to make, and so tasty! 🙂
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Love it, you had me with frangipane, lol😋😍😋💞
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lol Thank you Ursula. I too am a big fan of frangipane so fully understand. It’s such a great concoction! 🙂
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Your food always looks divine!
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Thank you Yvonne, for such a nice compliment. 🙂
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Oh gosh, this looks good.
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Thank you Paul! 🙂
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