Crisp matchsticks of puff pastry are made just that little bit sweeter by a thin glaze spread over them before baking. Although these beauties are great on their own, they’re even better with a coffee-spiked anglaise for dipping.
Ingredients
Café au lait anglaise
Method
Main
1.For café au lait anglaise, bring cream, milk, coffee, vanilla bean and seeds, and rind to the simmer in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk yolks and sugar in a bowl until sugar dissolves, pour in cream mixture and whisk to combine. Return to pan and stir continuously until mixture thickly coats the back of a wooden spoon (4-5 minutes), then strain and refrigerate until chilled (1-2 hours).
2.Preheat oven to 200C. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface to a rough 3mm-thick rectangle, place on a tray lined with baking paper and freeze until firm (10-15 minutes).
3.Meanwhile, beat eggwhite, icing sugar and vanilla paste in an electric mixer until thick and smooth (3-4 minutes). Spread over frozen pastry in a thin even layer and return to freezer for another 5 minutes. Trim edges of pastry carefully with a sharp knife (if pastry is a little brittle, stand for 1-2 minutes), then cut into 2cm x 12cm rectangles and place on baking trays lined with baking paper. Bake until light golden and crisp (8-10 minutes), then set aside to cool slightly. Serve with café au lait anglaise for dipping.
