Tompouce (Tompoes) | Cream Filling Dutch Puff Pastry
A rectangular puff pastry with two layers and a pastry cream filling, the Tompouce or the Tompoes, is topped with pink or white icing. The pastry is popular in the Netherlands and Belgium, where it is called as "tompoes." The tompouce is eaten with a pastry fork and served with tea or coffee.
Although the meaning of the term "tompouce" is unknown, an intriguing tale contends that the Dutch dessert was created in the 1840s by a baker in Amsterdam, the country's capital.
At the time, an American circus act was touring the city. A dwarf called Charles Sherwood Stratton, who went by the stage name "General Tom Thumb," or "Generale Tom Pouce" in French, was one of the featured performers. The baker used the name of Tom Pouce for his new dessert since he was so taken with it.
It's interesting to note that the French napoleon was called for the illustrious general Napoleon Bonaparte, who was reputed to be short, like General Tom Thumb.
So today, let's make some delicious Tompouce. Let's dig in.
Prep Time Cook Time Total Time
1 hour 40 minutes 1 hour 40 minutes
Ingredients
250g or 8 sheets of puff pastry (frozen)Pastry cream125ml whipped cream250ml milk25g corn starch5 gelatin sheets1 bag of vanilla sugar50g sugar2 egg yolksflourFrosting100g powder sugar1 Tbsp hot watersyrup (for the pink color ex. raspberries/strawberries)
Steps
1. Defrost the puff pastry. Then, on the puff pastry sheet, sprinkle some flour. Place them on a baking sheet and poke holes in the crust with a wooden skewer or fork.
2. Next bake it for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown, in a preheated oven (200 - 230 °C). Let it cool down, afterwards.
3. Cut the puff pastry into pieces that are 5 x 12 cm in size.
4. To get the required color, boil some water, dissolve the sugar in the powder form, and then combine it with the syrup.
5. Before the mixture cools too much, immediately spread the frosting on half of the pastry. Apply a tiny quantity and distribute it evenly.
6. Then bring the milk and vanilla sugar to a boil.
7. Stir the starch into a cup of cold water before adding it to the heating milk. This method ensures that the starch dissolves completely and without lumps. Remove from the heat as soon as possible.
8. Till it foams, combine the sugar and egg yolks in a mixing bowl. Allow to cool after carefully stirring through the cream.
9. Dissolve the gelatin in the cream after soaking it and squeezing out any extra water. Whip the cream and fold it into the cream.
10. Allow the cream to cool for a few minutes after pouring it into a rectangle shape. When completely cold, cut rectangular forms ranging in size from 5 to 12 centimeters (2.0 to 4.7 in). For this, use a moist knife.
11. Lay the sheet of puff pastry on a plate, top it with a cream cube, and then top it with the sheet of puff pastry covered in icing to complete the dessert. Garish it as your preferred way. (in here, I used some sprinkles) Enjoy!
