Eckart Witzigmann's recipes: Caramelized Puff Pastries with Wild Strawberries and Rhubarb Sorbet

Eckart Witzigmann's culinary Notes

Preheat oven to 210°C (400°F).

On a cold marble surface, roll out puff pastry dough to a thickness of around 2.5 mm. Using a sharp 6-cm round cookie cutter, cut out rounds from the pastry sheet. Transfer to a baking sheet and refrigerate until ready to use.
Stir 2 tablespoons high-quality kirsch into 250 ml of the prepared, chilled pastry cream.
Beat cold cream with a pinch of sugar until stiff.
Fold ¼ of the whipped cream into the pastry cream mixture, then vigorously stir in remaining whipped cream with a large mixing spoon while continuously rotating the bowl.
Refrigerate.
Sort wild strawberries and wipe clean with a damp paper towel. If possible, do not wash.
You will need about 25 strawberries per serving.
Beat egg yolk together with a pinch of salt and several drops water.

Brush a little softened butter onto a baking sheet and drizzle with a few drops of water.
Place puff-pastry rounds on the baking sheet with the smooth side down and brush with a thin wash of beaten egg yolk (be careful not to drip down the sides). Place the baking sheet in the hot oven and bake 10-15 minutes until golden-brown.
While still hot, cut puff pastries in half horizontally using a serrated knife.
Dust the top half with a thick layer of powdered sugar and caramelize under the broiler until golden.
Fill a star-tipped pastry bag with pastry cream and pipe onto the bottom halves of the puff pastries in a circular formation.
Arrange strawberries on top of the pastry cream with the tips pointed upward and replace the caramelized puff pastry tops. Transfer warm pastries to plates, encircle with raspberry sauce and garnish with mint if desired.
Serve rhubarb sorbet on the side in a chilled ice cream dish.

Pour milk into a saucepan.
Slit open vanilla bean and scrape out pulp.
Add vanilla pod, pulp and 25 g sugar to the milk and bring to a boil.
Place egg yolks in a mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat in 75 g sugar, the sifted flour and pudding mix until light-colored and foamy.
Add boiled milk to beaten egg yolks while stirring constantly. Return the entire mixture to the saucepan and boil thoroughly.
Remove vanilla pod. Beat pastry cream over a bowl of ice water and cover with plastic wrap.