How to make Cream Horns

This weekend we went to the antique and collectors fair which happens every Sunday in Market Harborough and it is a jolly good, if tempting, way to pass a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon.  Sometimes I come away having seen nothing that I’ll lose sleep over, whereas other times, one is sorely tempted to part with a kidney for some object that sings out from a leering trader who knows one all too well and has seen one coming.

On Sunday I fell to my knees sobbing with joy when I found two boxes of 1950’s ‘Nutbrown’ Cream Horn Cases in their original boxes.  I even forgot to haggle, although the price was perfectly fair in the first place.  (The boys had learned to ask “Can you do me a price on that?” before they could eat solid food).  Brand new Cream Horn cones are still readily available in good cook shops by the way, although obviously if you can get ones as good as mine, it can only add to your cake eating pleasure.

I rushed home determined upon a plate of cream horns before the sun had set.  Technically they are very simple, but you do need to practice the spiral wrapping a couple of times and it is very important to wet the pastry well so that it sticks without unfolding whilst in the oven.  Also make sure that the pastry does not overlap the top of the cone, or it will fold in and spoil the look of the pastry when you come to remove the cone.

CREAM HORNS

Utensils:
Cream horn cones (9 will use up a whole packet of pastry)
1 x baking tray per 4 cones – greased and floured, or covered with a sheet of greaseproof paper

These ones were great

1 x rolling pin
1 x pastry brush
1 x plate for sugar dipping
1 x wire cooling rack
1 x whisk
Icing bag with a broad nozzle

Ingredients:
1 packet of puff pastry
½ pint of double cream
1 tablespoon icing sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
Raspberry jam
1 beaten egg for glazing
White sugar for coating
A little butter for greasing the cones *

Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 200 / 400 / 6
Roll out the pastry to a rectangle about 18″ (46cm) long by about 10″ (25cm) wide
Cut into 1″ (2.5cm) wide strips and brush with water
Grease the cones with butter
Wrap the pastry round the cones in a spiral, neatly pinching the bottom and making sure that the layers stick to each other.  Trim any pastry which overlaps the top of the cone.
Brush with beaten egg
Pour some sugar onto a flat plate and roll the cones in the sugar
Place the cones on a baking sheet, with the final seam on the bottom, giving them plenty of room to puff up
Put in the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until nicely golden and crisp
Remove from the oven, leave for 5 minutes to cool
Carefully remove the metal cones then transfer to a wire rack to go completely cold
Whisk the cream until it forms soft peaks.
Whisk in the icing sugar and vanilla.  This is called Chantilly Cream
Put half a teaspoonful of jam in the bottom of each pastry cone
Pipe in the cream, finishing with an attractive swirl.
To make them extra special you can top them off with a strawberry of a few raspberries

* I always keep butter papers after taking out the butter, as there is usually just enough left on the wrapper to grease baking tins, or indeed cream horn cones, and it saves on greaseproof paper as well

To make you feel better, these are the ones which didn't work. They still tasted good though.