There used to be a grocery chain that sold a pastry in their bakery they called lemon pillows. They were a favorite of my dad..and the rest of us. They were a puffy rectangle pastry with a delicious lemon filling.
It has been many years since they went out of business, but I have been thinking about how tasty those lemon pillows were and wishing I could have one a lot lately. So, I decided to make my own version using frozen puff pastry and my mom’s lemon meringue pie filling.
To be honest, it has been so many years since I had a lemon pillow that I truly am not sure how close this came to what I used to buy. However, in my mind, my homemade pastry pillows tasted even better. They were delicious. Frankly, anything with my mom’s lemon pie filling would be delicious.
My biggest challenge deciding how to make the lemon filled pillow was how to actually fill them. I decided to try two different methods: bake the puff pastry before filling and baking the puff pastry with filling between two layers of pastry.
Both methods worked well. If you lack a piping tip, I suggest baking the filling in between two layers of puff pastry. Although this method requires twice the amount of pastry per pillow, it is not nearly as messy to eat as splitting a pillow and spooning in the lemon filling. I apparently overfilled my pastry and ended up wearing the lemon filling every time.
Lemon Filled Pillows
Ingredients
- 1 container frozen puff pastry or homemade equivalent
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1/2 c. cornstarch
- 1 1/2 c. sugar
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 1/2 c. water
- 1/4 c. lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp. lemon zest
- 2 Tbsp. butter, cut into slices or cubes
- 1 whole large egg + 1 1/2 tsp. water
- decorating, sanding, or granulated sugar
Instructions
- Follow puff pastry directions for thaw and use.
- Beat egg yolks in a small to medium bowl.
- In a saucepan, combine, cornstarch and sugar. Slowly stir in water.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring continuously.
- Boil for 1 minute.
- Remove from heat and slowly whisk in 1/2 of the hot sugar mixture into the eggs.
- Whisk the tempered egg mixture into the rest of the hot sugar mixture in the saucepan.
- Return to heat and bring to a boil again for 1 minute while stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, lemon zest, and butter.
- Place into another container to cool.
- After a few minutes, place plastic wrap on the surface of the lemon filling. If baking in the pastry, place in the refrigerator.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Roll out the puff pastry to an appropriate size. If you’re using Pepperidge Farm brand, just roll it out a little more. Cut into desired size rectangles. Pepperidge Farm brand pastry yields 6 rectangles per sheet.
- Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- EITHER brush the tops with egg wash (whole egg) and sprinkle sugar over it.
- OR place spoonfuls of the cooled lemon filling in the center of a pastry rectangle, brush the edges of the same rectangle with the egg wash, and top with another rectangle. Press lightly around the edges to seal. Then, brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle it with sugar.
- Bake unfilled pastry for 15 minutes and filled pastry for 17 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. (Note: Check baking directions for the type of puff pastry you use and bake according to those directions).
- Cool on the baking sheet placed on a wire rack.
- If unfilled, fill with lemon pie filling before serving.
- Serve warm or cold.
