Raspberry and White Chocolate Pastry Flowers

I recently decided that it would be a good idea to learn how to make puff pastry.  Because of all the hype around making puff pastry, and because I was sure they must sell it pre-made in stores for a good reason, I was rather terrified to make my own.  But I thought about it, and I researched it, and I thought of all the great things I could do if I could whip up puff pastry whenever I felt like it, and I decided that I should just go ahead and attempt to make it immediately.  Coincidentally, it was already about 8 PM on New Years Eve.  So at the stroke of the new year, I was in my kitchen, happily rolling out and folding puff pastry dough!  It didn't go perfectly, but luckily all the problems I ran into were easily fixed; my first batch had melted butter leaking out, as well as considerable pastry shrinkage.  So I let the dough rest longer and I turned the oven heat up, and my second batch baked perfectly.  And now I can happily say that I have conquered puff pastry!  

Afterwards, I just had to decide what to do with all my pastries...  Well, I had a ton of raspberries in my freezer, and I was out of raspberry jam anyways, so I made some jam and filled the pastries with it.  I thought they needed a touch of something sweeter than the jam, so I made a white chocolate ganache and piped it all over them.  mmm.  Sadly, I gave most of them to my neighbors, since I am currently the only one in my house who can eat sweets.  But I ate quite a few of them right after they were finished... they aren't too sweet so you can eat a good many in one sitting!  Here is the recipe:

Puff pastry (I used this recipe)

Preheat oven to 420 F.  

Use a cookie cutter to cut shapes out of the dough.  I used a flower shape, but many shapes would work for this.  Use a knife or a smaller cookie cutter to score a circle on each pastry.  Arrange 1 inch apart on a baking sheet, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until puffed and golden.  Then use a knife to remove the inside circles created on the pastries from the scoring.  

Raspberry Jam

2 cups raspberries (frozen or fresh)

1 scant cup sugar

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ceylon cinnamon (if you use regular, use less of it)

Mash up the raspberries in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil.  Boil for 1 or 2 minutes, and then gradually add in the sugar.  Add the spices once the sugar is incorporated, and continue to boil, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to thicken.  Take off of the heat, and let cool a few minutes before pouring into the pastry shells.  

White Chocolate Ganache 

1 cup finely chopped white chocolate

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Place the chopped chocolate in a small bowl.  Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it begins to boil, and then pour it over the white chocolate.  Let sit for 1 or 2 minutes, and then whisk until all the chocolate is melted and incorporated into the cream.  Mix in the vanilla extract, and then refrigerate until it is a good consistency to be piped.  Using a very small round tip, pipe over the pastries in a decorative manner.  =)