Peach Triangles

It's been my father's nameday recently and I wanted to bake him something different instead of a traditional bábovka. At the same time I didn't really want to bake a cake since nameday doesn't carry the same weight as birthday does and looking back at the things I baked in the past month, I saw that all of them were pretty big projects. I was deciding between muffins or cupcakes but I eventually decided to go for something with fruit as the season is almost over (and it's still not time for plums, or is it?) and it would be a pity to pass up on the last fruit baked thing.

When I was looking into small fruit pastry recipes, there was this option to make couple of tarts but I didn't want to make a small pie so soon after the very successful berry pie from couple weeks back. I decided to go for Peach Triangles.
I haven't worked with puff pastry since my not-so-good attempt at strudel half a year ago or so. And this seemed easy since the ready made pastry is available at stores and saves you a lot of trouble... You know, maybe I'll try something else with it soon. Maybe I'll have another go at the strudel! Who knows!

While making the triangles, I realized couple things. The pieces of the peaches should be smaller than what I cut. Lemon juice is good but too much of it will suppress the sweetness of the fruit (I used juice from the whole lemon). If you don't seal the triangle carefully, it will open in the oven.

The day after I made the triangles, I realized one more thing: there's nothing like still warm, fresh from the oven Peach Triangle.

Peach Triangles

for 8 triangles you will need:

not-really-diced peaches ready to be rolled up

• 500g puff pastry - store-bought is easier but could be hand made if you feel like it
• 1 egg
• 2 large peaches
• 4 teaspoons of brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons of white sugar
• 1 teaspoon of cornstarch
• a pinch of salt
• half a teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 lemon

1. Place the pastry into the fridge. Wash the peaches, cut in half, take out the core and dice the peaches - slice them into nail-sized bits. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze out the juice from one half. Keep the other one for your afternoon tea :)
2. Take a large bowl and place the peaches in it. Add the brown sugar (consider adding more if your peaches are more on the tangy side) and two teaspoons of white sugar, cornstarch (to absorb the juices), salt, cinnamon and  the lemon juice. Toss around until combined and let sit for couple minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 190°C and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 
4. Take the pastry from the fridge, divide into 8 parts (halve it, halve it again and once more), place one on a floured surface and roll it out into a square shape.
5. Transfer about two spoonfuls of the peach mix on the square, spread it diagonally on one of the halves. Once that is done, fold it over the filling and with your fingers press the edges together to lock the peaches inside. Keep in mind that any opening will result in juices and peaches escaping during their time in the oven.



A triangle is ready

6. Once you have triangles closed and placed on a baking sheet, crack an egg and whisk it briefly. Add a teaspoon of water and whisk some more. Cover the tops of the triangles with the egg wash and sprinkle them with one spoon of the remaining white sugar. Then take a sharp knife and make three slits to the tops of the triangles so that steam can come out there easily. Place in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes until puffed and golden. Serve warm.