Baklava-style Apricot Danish Pastries
Photography by Sarah Tuck.
I wondered at first whether these might be a little on the big side… but as soon as I started eating one I realised this was not the case – totally delicious.
Serves: 6
INGREDIENTS
450 grams good-quality ready-rolled butter puff pastry
1 cup walnuts
1 cup pistachios
¼ cup sugar
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1½ teaspoons rosewater
25 grams melted butter
3 tablespoons runny honey
25 grams melted butter
12 ripe apricots, halved
1 cup natural Greek yoghurt, to serve
extra honey, to serve, if desired
Egg wash
1 egg
2 teaspoons cream
1 teaspoon caster sugar
METHOD
Line 2 oven trays with baking paper.
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Cut the puff pastry into 6 x 14cm square pieces and place on the oven trays.
Gently mark a 1cm border around the edge of each piece of pastry to cut just halfway through.
Egg wash: Whisk the egg with the cream and sugar.
Brush the edges of the pastry with a little of the egg wash and use the tines of a fork to gently prick the inside base of each pastry square (make at least 8–9 prick marks).
Bake for 12 minutes, then remove from the oven and poke down all of the middle pastry bits that have over-puffed.
While the pastry is cooking put the walnuts, pistachios, sugar, zest, rosewater and butter in a food processor and whiz to a chunky paste.
In a separate jug mix the honey with the second measure of melted butter.
Divide the nut mix evenly between the pastry centres, then top with apricot halves, cut-side down, and brush with honey butter mixture.
Reduce the oven temperature to 190°C and bake a further 10–15 minutes until golden. Serve pastries with yoghurt and a little extra honey, if desired.

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