National Pastry Day 2019

Celebrate the right way with something sweet - or savory!

Some people prefer salty, some people like spicy. I am part of the community of people who LIVE for sweets. Having a sweet tooth isn’t the greatest card to be dealt when it comes to overall health, but with a few tweaks, most sweet snacks can be given a healthy, guilt-free twist.

December 9th has been deemed National Pastry Day in the United States, and whether you tend to indulge in a sweet treat on a regular basis or save that for special occasions only, I’d say this is the perfect opportunity to treat yourself to something delicious. After all, it is a national holiday!

By definition, in case you didn’t already know, a pastry is a dough of flour, water, and shortening. The difference between bread and pastries is that pastries typically are higher in fat content, giving it that flaky or crumbly texture we all know and love.

One thing you might not know is that there are actually several different kinds of pastries. In fact, although typically we think of a pastry as a very sweet food, they can be a bit more on the savory side, for those whose sweet tooth isn’t as prominent as mine, such as meat pies.

10 Main Types of Pastries

1. Croissants - puff pastry from France; rich, flaky roll; typically eaten at breakfast and combined with cheese or chocolate
2. Pies - fruit, meat, or vegetables made of pastry dough crust
3. Danishes - the sweet pastry of Denmark; apple, cherry, chocolate, and cheese; fluffy outside, buttery and flaky inside
4. Macarons - different than macaroons; French sweet treat; egg whites, sugar, almonds, sandwiched by ganache or buttercream; comes in a variety of flavors
5. Eclairs - oblong, hollow pastry made with choux dough, filled with custard or chocolate-flavored cream; also of French origin; topped with fondant icing
6. Strudels - German layered pastry; usually sweet filling typically apple, cheese, cherry; served with cream
7. Cannoli - Italian descent; fried pastry dough in tube-like shape; filled with a creamy, sweet filling that is typically made from ricotta cheese
8. Pretzels - Yes, a pretzel is considered a pastry – who would’ve thought?! A European creation; made in both soft and hard forms; can be made both sweet and savory
9. Tarts - made similar to pies, just with the top open instead of closed; usually made with custard and fruit
10. Profiteroles - French dessert known as cream puffs; balls filled with whipped cream, pastry cream, custard, or ice cream; plain, topped with powdered sugar, fondant icing, or chocolate ganache.

Now that my mouth is watering, let’s learn how to make a pastry in your very own home! Let’s try #10 – cream puffs! These are easy, finger foods that you can make for a party and have them at the ready as a quick little dessert guests can grab as they walk by and not worry about a mess or even the need for a plate and silverware.

This easy recipe from Jo-Anna with the “A Pretty Life” blog is simple to follow and leaves room for your own creativity if you choose to put your own twist on it

Once you’ve completed your cream filled creations, you’ll want to display them for your guests to see and pick from. mDesign’s multi-tier serving stand is the perfect item for this! You can select either the two-tier or three-tier design depending on how many levels of yummy you need!

For breakfast in bed or even just a cute display on your kitchen island/countertops or on a side table, use one of mDesign’s acrylic serving trays with handles. They are sturdy, trendy, and match any décor and home. The handles make it easy to transport when filling the tray back up or adding some coffee or tea.

Whether you’re making your own treats at home from scratch or going to your local pastry shop to get some of your favorite goodies, once you’ve got them home and displayed them in style for your family, or guests, you’re ready to do National Pastry Day the right way!

Cheers!

Shaylee Dillen is a SEO Content Writer at mDesign
and considers herself a caffeine and cosmetics fanatic!

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