Puff Pastry Pinwheels with Pastry Cream and Currants
These puff pastry pinwheels are a homemade riff on French pain aux raisins, except instead of raisins they use dried black currants, which bring a pleasant tartness against the gentle pastry cream. The spiral shape isn’t just for looks: as they bake, the layers of dough open up while the cream inside stays creamy.
Pastry cream (crème pâtissière) plays the lead role here, so the whole bake depends on its quality. It’s important to temper the yolks by first whisking in a little of the hot milk, otherwise they’ll curdle when returned to the saucepan.
Worth knowing: Plastic wrap right on the surface of the cream is no whim: it keeps a dense skin from forming while the cream cools.
- Dried currants can be swapped for cranberries, raisins, or dried cherries; if the berries are too dry, soak them for 10 minutes in warm water and pat dry.
- Leaving a margin at the edge when spreading the cream is essential, otherwise the cream leaks out as you roll and the seam won’t hold.
- Cut the roll with a sharp knife in one motion without pressing down, so you don’t flatten the spiral.
Serve the pinwheels warm or chilled, dusted with powdered sugar if you like. They’re best the first day, while the pastry is still crisp.
Part of French cuisine — 22 more recipes in the section.
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Ingredients
Instructions
Pastry cream
Pour the milk into a saucepan, add half the sugar and the vanilla. Bring to a boil. Whisk 2 yolks until pale with the cornstarch and the remaining sugar. Pour a third of the hot milk into the yolks and mix thoroughly. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan with the milk. Keep the cream over the lowest heat or in a double boiler, stirring constantly, until it thickens.Pour the cream into a dish with high sides. Lay plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cream so a skin doesn't form. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
Assembly
Roll the pastry sheet 3 to 4 mm thick. Spread the pastry cream over the dough, leaving a 1.5 to 2 cm margin along one edge. Sprinkle the cream-covered dough with currants and roll it up. Brush the free strip of dough with water using a brush and seal it so the seam on the roll doesn't come apart.Whisk the yolk with the milk.
Cut the roll crosswise into 2 to 3 cm wide pieces.
Line a baking sheet with parchment, arrange the pinwheels, and brush the dough with the yolk.
Bake the pinwheels in an oven preheated to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F) for 30 minutes.
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