Banana, Chocolate & Rum Pastry Puf..

Cooking Instructions

Heat oven to 400°F. Have a cookie sheet ready.

Filling: Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add sugar, rum, water and cinnamon and stir until sugar dissolves and mixture is syrupy, about 2 minutes. Stir in banana slices and cook, stirring occasionally, until bananas are coated with syrup and start to lose their shape. Scrape into a small bowl, mash slightly with a fork and cool about 5 minutes. Stir in chocolate chips.

Unfold puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. With a rolling pin, roll into a 12-inch square. With a pizza wheel or a knife, cut crosswise into six 2-inch-wide strips, then lengthwise into eight 11⁄2-inch-wide strips. (You’ll have forty-eight 2 x 11⁄2-inch rectangles.)

Spread a teaspoon Filling down the center of half the rectangles, leaving a 1⁄4-inch border all around. Moisten border with water. Make a row of three 1⁄2-inch crosswise slits down middle of remaining rectangles. Place on Filling, lining up edges with bottom rectangles. Press tines of a fork around edges to seal in filling. Brush top of pastries lightly with egg. Using a spatula, transfer to an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 15 minutes or until pastry is puffed and golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

PEAR-CRANBERRY VARIATION

Thaw 1 sheet puff pastry and heat oven as directed. In small saucepan, prepare syrup in Step 2, substituting 1 tablespoon dark-brown sugar for the granulated sugar, increasing water to 1 tablespoon and adding 1⁄8 teaspoon ground nutmeg instead of cinnamon. Substitute 1⁄2 peeled and cored pear, finely chopped for the banana. Stir in 3⁄4 teaspoon all-purpose flour and sauté 1 minute until mixture thickens. Scrape into a small bowl. Substitute 1⁄4 cup dried cranberries for the chocolate chips. Proceed as directed.