Recipe courtesy of Zoe Francois

Pineapple Quesito

  • Level: Easy
  • Yield: 8 servings
  • Total: 1 hr 25 min
  • Prep: 30 min
  • Inactive: 20 min
  • Cook: 35 min
This is a Quesito -- perfect in its simplicity: flaky puff pastry wrapped around sweetened cream cheese and buttery pineapple. It's beautiful in a shabby chic kind of way, nothing fussy, just rustic goodness with a generous dusting of powdered sugar. The best thing is that you can whip this together in about 10 minutes and instantly satisfy your craving for something sweet. The Quesito is a traditional breakfast pastry from Puerto Rico. You can find them in every bakery and coffee shop, filled with everything from guava paste, passion fruit and pineapple. They are also delicious with nothing but the sweetened cheese.
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Ingredients

The Pineapples:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 cups fresh pineapple, chopped into small pieces

1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped out

Cream Cheese Filling:

1/2 cup (4 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pastry:

2 sheets puff pastry, thawed

Egg wash (1 egg beat with 1 tablespoon water)

Sugar, for sprinkling on the pastry

Confectioners' (powdered) sugar for dusting the baked pastry

Directions

  1. To make the quesitos:
  2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line two baking trays with parchment paper.
  3. In saucepan melt the butter over medium heat; add the brown sugar, pineapple and vanilla bean, with the seeds. Cook until the pineapple is tender and the juices have thickened to a syrup. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly while you make the cheese filling.
  4. To make cheese filling: In a bowl mix together the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth.
  5. Cut the puff pastry into 4- to 5-inch squares, depending on the size of the puff pastry sheet you have. Spread the cheese filling in the middle of each piece of pastry.
  6. Place the pineapples over the cheese filling. Brush the points of the pastry with the egg wash. Fold one side over the filling, and then tuck the other point under the pastry, to create a roll.
  7. Tuck the points under the filled pastry, which will puff up high and keep the filling in the center.
  8. Brush with more egg wash and sprinkle generously with sugar.
  9. Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. You may have to rotate the two trays, top to bottom and back to front, to make sure they are baking evenly. They will be light and puffy when they are done. Allow them to cool.
  10. Dust with confectioners' sugar.
  11. They are fantastic with a cup of coffee.

Let's Get Cooking!

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