Dark Cherry and Vanilla Bean Creme Fraiche Rough-Puff Jalousie
We are not suffering for brunch. That is my golden rule, and it is the exact reason I developed this Dark Cherry and Vanilla Bean Creme Fraiche Rough-Puff Jalousie. The inspiration hit me during a particularly brutal rainy Tuesday in my Bay Area kitchen when I desperately needed something flaky, buttery, and deeply rewarding without spending three days folding butter into dough. Memory lane took me straight to a tiny patisserie near the Canal Saint-Martin where I first fell in love with fruit pastries that actually tasted like fruit, not just sugar syrup. This jalousie—named for its window-like slashed top—gets its lightning-fast speed from a lamination-lite rough-puff method. You get all those lacy, shatteringly crisp layers with half the fuss. Inside, a thick layer of tangy vanilla-laced creme fraiche anchors sweet-tart dark cherries that bubble up into jammy perfection as the pastry bakes. Butter is not a garnish here, so use the good stuff. Make it your own by swapping the cherries for plums or sliced apricots depending on what looks good at the market. Let time do the work on your chill time, and do not skip the flaky salt on the crust right before it hits the oven.
Featured Recipe
Dark Cherry & Vanilla Bean Crème Fraîche Rough-Puff Jalousie
A café-style morning bake featuring a crisp, shatteringly flaky rough-puff pastry slashed like louvered shutters over spiced dark cherries and tangy vanilla crème fraîche. High impact, zero compromise, and designed for real-world morning schedules.
Save a copy to your collection for editing
Timeline
Ingredients
- 250 g All-purpose flour(Plus extra for dusting)
- 200 g Cultured butter(Unsalted, very cold, cut into 1/2-inch cubes)
- 1 tsp Fine sea salt
- 120 ml Ice water(Very cold)
- 350 g Fresh dark sweet cherries(Pitted and halved)
- 60 g Granulated sugar(Divided)
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch
- 1 tbsp Fresh lemon juice
- 120 g Crème fraîche(Full fat)
- 1 tsp Vanilla bean paste
- 1 large Egg(Beaten with 1 tsp water for egg wash)
- 1 tbsp Turbinado sugar(For crunch)
Instructions
- 1
In a large bowl, combine 250 g All-purpose flour and 1 tsp Fine sea salt. Add 200 g Cultured butter cubes. Toss to coat each piece in flour, then press butter cubes flat between your thumb and fingertips into thick shingle shapes. Pour in 120 ml Ice water and toss lightly until a shaggy mass forms. Gather into a rough rectangle, wrap tightly in plastic, and press flat.
10 min
Tip: Do not knead or overwork. You want visible hazelnut-sized butter slabs so steam can blow the layers apart in the oven.
- 2
Transfer dough rectangle to the refrigerator to chill thoroughly.
20 min
Tip: The fridge is your friend—cold butter equals dramatic rise.
- 3
While dough chills, prepare the fillings. In a medium bowl, toss 350 g Fresh dark sweet cherries with 50 g Granulated sugar, 1 tbsp Cornstarch, and 1 tbsp Fresh lemon juice. In a separate small bowl, whisk together 120 g Crème fraîche, remaining 10 g Granulated sugar, and 1 tsp Vanilla bean paste until smooth.
10 min
Tip: Cornstarch binds excess cherry juices while baking so the bottom crust stays delightfully crisp.
- 4
On a lightly floured surface, roll chilled dough into a 6x12-inch rectangle. Fold bottom third up, then top third down over it like a business letter (a 'tour simple'). Rotate 90 degrees and repeat once more. Wrap and chill for another 10 minutes if butter softens.
10 min
Tip: This quick laminating fold creates dozens of crisp layers without hours of work.
- 5
Roll pastry into a 10x14-inch rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. Cut lengthwise into two equal strips (5x14 inches each). Transfer one strip to a parchment-lined sheet. Fold second strip lengthwise in half and cut parallel diagonal slashes along the folded spine, leaving a 1/2-inch border intact. Unfold top strip.
10 min
Tip: 'Jalousie' translates to 'louvered shutter'—these slashes let steam escape so fruit cooks cleanly without exploding.
- 6
Spread vanilla crème fraîche over bottom pastry strip, leaving a 3/4-inch border all around. Top with macerated cherries in a dense single layer. Brush borders lightly with water. Carefully drape slashed pastry lid over top. Press edges firmly with your fingers, then crimp with a fork to seal.
5 min
Tip: Keep fillings inside the seal line to prevent leakage during expansion.
- 7
Chill assembled jalousie in the refrigerator while preheating oven to 400°F (200°C).
15 min
Tip: Chilling right before baking stops butter from melting out sideways.
- 8
Brush top pastry strip with 1 large Egg wash and sprinkle evenly with 1 tbsp Turbinado sugar. Bake for 25 minutes until puff pastry is deeply golden brown, mahogany along the edges, and cherry juice bubbles thick through slashes.
25 min
Tip: Look for deep color—pale puff pastry is underbaked pasty sadness.
- 9
Slide parchment onto a wire cooling rack and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing into 6 wide rectangles with a sharp chef's knife or serrated blade.
10 min
Tip: Serve warm with coffee for the ultimate bakery-level home morning experience.
Chef's Notes
Cami's shortcut note: Quick-laminating gives you 80% of classic puff pastry's shatter with 20% of the effort. Don't skip this: The 15-minute final chill before the oven locks the butter structure in place so your pastry rises sky-high instead of puddling onto the sheet pan. Butter is not a garnish, let time do the work, and we are definitely not suffering for brunch!
Camille Roux
Café-level bakes, weeknight methods, zero compromise.
Camille “Cami” Roux was born in Paris with flour in her hair and a healthy skepticism of culinary dogma. She grew up around neighborhood boulangeries that treated crust and crumb like religion—but what stuck with her wasn’t rigid tradition. It was the quiet precision: good butter that actually tastes like milk, patient fermentation that builds flavor for free, and desserts that know when to stop before they get cloying. After moving to the Bay Area, Cami trained in a bread-and-pastry scene obsessed with texture, naturally leavened doughs, and seasonal fruit—Tartine energy, minus the martyrdom. She became known for loaves that sing when they cool, jammy tarts with clean edges, and “how is this so good?” weeknight pastries made with a few smart shortcuts. Her motto is high impact, low fuss: splurge where it counts (butter, salt, time), streamline the rest (sheet pans, one bowl, cold-proofing). If it doesn’t improve flavor or structure, it doesn’t earn a step.