Puff Pastry Hearts with Vanilla Cream and Strawberries

Preparation

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the egg with 1 tablespoon of milk.

2. 2

   Roll out the puff pastry and, using a 5 cm heart-shaped cutter, cut out hearts. For half of the hearts, use a smaller 3 cm heart-shaped cutter to cut out the centre.

3. 3

   Brush the full hearts with the egg wash and top with the hearts with a hole in the middle. Brush the tops with egg wash and transfer the hearts to the baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 8–10 minutes, or until golden brown and puffed. Once baked, remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

4. 4

   For the cream, whisk the whipping cream until soft peaks are forming. In another bowl, whisk the mascarpone with the vanilla sugar and Bourbon vanilla paste. Gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture, then transfer the cream to a pastry bag with a star tip.

5. 5

   Wash and slice the strawberries. Fill the puff pastry hearts with vanilla cream, top with strawberries, and dust with powdered sugar.