Directions

Chill the pastry board in the refrigerator.

Add the flour, salt and sugar to a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until finely chopped into the flour. Pour the flour into a large mixing bowl and and gradually mix in the water until there are no small crumbs left on the bottom. Press the dough together, place on the pastry board and knead 2-3 times to incorporate ingredients. Shape into a ball and flatten into a sphere about 1 inch thick. Cover in plastic wrap or a ziplock bag and refrigerate 30-45 minutes until chilled.  

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Note: The butter should be cold, and malleable the dough.

Remove dough from the refrigerator and place onto the chilled pastry board. Using a rolling pin, pound the butter until malleable and shape into a 5" circle. Lightly flour the surface of pastry board and roll the dough out into a 12" circle. Place the cold, malleable butter in the middle and fold the edges over to the center, so that the butter is completely covered with the dough.  

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Dough Steps:

Roll the dough out into a 15"x10" rectangle and fold lengthwise into 1/3rds (folded letter shaped/3 layers). Repeat, roll out and fold. Wrap with the plastic and place in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours until the gluten has relaxed and the dough has softened.

Remove from the refrigerator and repeat the steps again; roll out, fold, turn, roll out, fold. Place the dough back in the refrigerator and let rest overnight.  

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The next day:

Asparagus Bechamel

Add the butter to a sauce pan and heat over medium-low temperature. Once butter starts to bubble, add the flour and garlic and whisk/cook for 2 minutes. Turn the temperature up to medium and gradually whisk in the milk. Add the salt and season with white pepper, whisking continuously. As soon as sauce starts to boil, remove from heat and cover.  

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Slice off the tips of all of the asparagus spears and set aside. Snap or slice off the bottom part of stems, discard the tough bottom part and then slice the remaining part of spears  (not the tips) into 1/3rds.  

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Add 1 1/2 cups of the sliced asparagus stems and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to a food processor and pulse until puréed. Gradually add/pulse in the warm béchamel until smooth. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, press the warm asparagus béchamel through a sieve into a bowl. Measure out 2 1/2 cups and add to a medium sized sauce pan. Add more milk if needed to achieve 2 1/2 cups.  

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To make the Beurre Manié, cream the butter and flour together and gradually whisk into the béchamel sauce over medium heat. Once sauce starts to simmer, cook 1 minute, whisking continuously, remove from heat and stir in 1 ounce of the grated Gruyere cheese until smooth.  

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Caramelized Shallots

Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium temperature. Add the diced shallots, cover and cook until softened. Remove cover and cook, stirring often, until caramelized. Remove from heat and let cool.  

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Note: Make the Hollandaise right before serving the pastries. This recipe is made using a small food processor (or blender). If you don't have a processor, prepare by continuously whisking the egg yolks in a sauce pan over a low temperature and "gradually" dripping in the hot butter until thickened.

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Hollandaise Sauce

Place the butter in a small sauce pan and heat over medium-low temperature.  

Add the egg yolks and lemon juice to the food processor (or blender) and gradually pulse in the "hot" butter. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper and pulse until thickened.

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Assembly

Toss the reserved asparagus tips with some olive oil and salt & pepper.  

Fill the pastry bag with the cooled asparagus béchamel. Place your chopped ham, shallots, asparagus tips and grated Gruyere cheese, in separate bowls and set in your work area.  

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Remove the puff pastry from the refrigerator and unfold. Cut in half widthwise and place 1/2 of it back in the refrigerator until ready to use. Roll out the pastry to about a 1/8" thickness and cut 12 squares using your cutter. Scraps can be pressed together and rolled back out if needed. Depending on how fast you work, you may want to place most of the squares in the refrigerator and remove a few at a time to fill. Pastry dough should be cold.

Follow the diagram on the left side of page on how to cut and shape the pastry diamonds, and using your finger, rub a little bit of water between the folded parts to adhere together. After diamonds are cut and folded, brush well with the egg wash, except for the center that will be filled. Add about 1 teaspoon of shallot to the center, followed by chopped ham, a pipe of asparagus béchamel, a sprinkle of grated gruyere and then top with 2 asparagus tips. As you go, place the finished pastries an inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, cover with plastic and place in the refrigerator to keep the dough cold.  

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Preheat oven to 400F and place pastries in the center of oven. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool. Make the Hollandaise sauce and drizzle over tops of the diamonds and sprinkle with chopped chives. Makes 2 dozen.  

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