Nussgipfel
These plump croissants are a Swiss bakery staple, stuffed with a sweet nut filling.
My favourite time to eat one is at the end of a long hike—in even the smallest alpine village you can find a bakery, or even kiosk, that sells a passable Nussgipfel.
I don’t think the rules are hard and fast, but in my experience a bakery Nussgipfels are typically made with hazelnut filling (although it sometimes has almonds on top), and if you want an almond variation you are looking for a Mandelgipfel. Whatever you prefer, it never hurts to ask what exactly is inside.
Online recipes do not seem to make the same distinction. Annemarie Wildeisen fills her Nussgipfel with almonds, Swissmilk and Migusto with hazelnuts, and Betty Bossi provides both variations, but causes a bit of controversy in the comment section by suggesting a fixfertig almond paste (meaning a tub of the stuff).
Filling:
100 g ground almonds or hazelnuts
70 g apricot jam
2 tbsp milk
2 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp cinnamon
Assembly:
320 g puff pastry
1 egg, separated
Glaze:
2 tbsp lemon juice
50 g icing sugar
a handful of flaked almonds or chopped hazelnuts, to garnish
Preheat oven to 200 C / 400 F / gas mark 6.
In a large measuring cup, mix together the ground nuts, jam, milk, lemon zest, and cinnamon.
Roll out your puff pastry into a circle. Slice into eight wedges.
Add the filling to the middle of the wedge. Brush all around it with egg white, then roll it up.
Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, then brush with egg yolk.
Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the pastry has puffed and the outside is golden.
Let cool for about 5 minutes.
For the glaze, mix the lemon juice and powdered sugar. Brush over the cooled Nussgipfel and sprinkle with nuts.
For best results, toast your nuts—you can do this for the ground nuts for the filling, and the garnish.
For the filling: spread the nuts on a baking tray and pop in the oven for about 4 minutes. Let cool before making the filling.
For the garnish: you can do this as the oven is heating up, or while the Nussgipfel are baking. Spread them out on a baking tray and pop them in. They should take only a few minutes, so keep your eye on them and take them out as soon as they start to turn brown.
Now ham filling?
Schinkengipfeli
