The first recipe is starting off with something sweet: Quesitos!
Quesitos is a Latin American dish, popular in Puerto Rico, is famously eaten as a sweet snack or dessert. It is mainly known for its sweet and succulent flavor. Making quesitos does not require many ingredients. To make quesitos, you must have the following:
1 package frozen puff pastry, cut into 5” x 5” squares
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp water (for the egg wash)
Honey sugar syrup
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
To make this tasty and sweet dish, you must follow these directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°.
In a medium-size bowl, mix the softened cream and sugar together. Set aside.
In a small bowl, beat the egg and water. Set aside.
Remove frozen puff pastry from the freezer. Work quickly to cut pastry into 5-inch x 5-inch squares, with a sharp knife. The pastry will be easier to cut when frozen.
On a clean flat surface, lay out the pastry squares. With a pastry brush, lightly brush the edges of the squares with the egg wash. (This will act as the glue)
With a spoon, place about 1 Tbsp of the sweetened cream cheese mix on the left side of the pastry square.
From the left side, fold the dough over the cheese and roll the dough.
Place the rolled dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Space them an inch apart.
Once all the quesitos are rolled out, lightly brush each one with the egg wash. Take a fork and insert into the top of the pastry dough a couple of times, creating tiny holes to allow the steam to escape.
Place in preheated oven for about 25-35 minutes or until the pastry dough has completely puffed and the quesitos are golden brown.
While the pastries are baking, in a medium pot, bring water, sugar and honey to a simmer for about 20 minutes. Keep warm.
Remove quesitos from the oven and immediately brush on the first layer of syrup. Repeat with a second layer of syrup. Let cool for at least 15 minutes.
That is all! Enjoy and ¡buen provecho!
