Apple and Cinnamon Danish Pastry

Instructions

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   Preparation Time: 20 minutes +15 minutes if you need to make the apple compote.

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   Baking Time: 30 to 40 minutes

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   Cooling, Glazing and Icing: 15 minutes

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   Method

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   1.Put the oven on to heat it to 200°C/400°F.

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   2.In a bowl, mix the apple compote with the honey, cinnamon and raisins and set aside.

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   3.Line a baking tray(s) with greaseproof baking paper.

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   4.Straight from the fridge, lay out the chilled slices of pastry on the lined baking trays. Leave some space in between each pastry square – about 2 cm / 1 in. Brush each slice with the beaten egg.

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   5.Along the middle of each slice, diagonally, spread about 2 x tbsp of the apple mixture. Don’t spread right to the corners, but leave a couple of centimeters (1 x in.).

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    6.Take both of the ‘free’ corners (the opposite corners to which you have spread the apple mix) of pastry and fold them over the middle. Squeeze them together gently but firmly to create a seal.

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    7.Brush each pastry with egg.

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    8.Place in the oven and bake until they are brown and crispy. This should take somewhere between 20 and 30 minutes.

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    9.Whilst the pastries are baking, you can make the icing and the glaze. For the icing, add the water gradually until you get the consistency you wish. To make the glaze, put the jam and water in a heavy bottomed pan on a medium heat and let the jam melt.

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    10.Once your pastries are ready, allow them to cool before adding the glaze then let the glaze set before applying the icing in thin stripes over your pastry.

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    Tips and Variations

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    •These pastries work really well with all sorts of stewed fruit fillings like pears, peaches, plums or berries. You can even use jam – but be careful to use a good quality jam, otherwise it can get too sweet.

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    •This recipe is based on a Danish pastry. It is not completely authentic because the real thing has a creamy base under the fruit, but I prefer this simpler way.

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    •If your glaze sets in the pan before your pastries are cooled, heat it a little to melt it again.

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    To make the Apple Compote

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    1.Place the apples, water and cinnamon in a heavy bottomed pan, bring to the boil, then allow to simmer until the apples are soft.

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    2.Mash with a fork for a rougher texture or liquidize it with a hand mixer for a smooth result

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