Dark Sweet Cherry & Brown Butter Almond Rough-Puff Mouchoirs
We are not suffering for brunch. That has always been my rule, especially when the craving for laminated pastry hits. Traditional croissants require a temperature-controlled room and the patience of a saint. Enter the mouchoir, or handkerchief pastry. I first fell in love with these loose, artful folds in a tiny bakery near the Canal Saint-Martin, where flakiness trumped geometric perfection every single time. For this version, I traded fussy turns for a fast rough-puff that still delivers that lacy, butter-shattered crumb we all chase. Inside goes a rich smear of brown butter almond frangipane—because butter is not a garnish—topped with glossy, tart-sweet summer cherries that bubble up as they bake. Let time do the work by chilling your dough thoroughly before it hits the oven. Want to make it your own? Swap the cherries for plums or apricots depending on what looks best at the market. Don't skip the flaky salt right when it comes out of the oven. It bridges the fruit and the nut in a way that feels distinctly café-level, right out of your own kitchen.
Featured Recipe
Dark Sweet Cherry & Brown Butter Almond Rough-Puff Mouchoirs
Buttery, flaky rough-puff folded loosely handkerchief-style over glossy dark sweet cherries and a smear of nutty brown butter frangipane. It gives you all the layered shatter of classic laminated pastry with zero fussy weekend lamination gymnastics.
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Timeline
Ingredients
- 250 g unbleached all-purpose flour(plus extra for dusting; about 2 cups)
- 1 tsp fine sea salt(divided)
- 200 g unsalted cultured butter, cold and cubed(keep refrigerator-cold, cut into 1/2-inch cubes; roughly 14 tbsp)
- 100 ml ice water(very cold; about 6 to 7 tbsp)
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice(added to the ice water to tenderize gluten)
- 340 g dark sweet cherries(fresh or frozen, pitted and halved; about 2 1/2 cups)
- 50 g granulated sugar(divided; about 1/4 cup total)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest(finely grated)
- 40 g unsalted butter, for browning(about 3 tbsp)
- 45 g almond flour(about 1/2 cup finely ground)
- 1 large egg(beaten with 1 tsp cold water for egg wash)
- 1/4 tsp pure almond extract
- 2 tbsp demerara sugar(for sprinkling atop pastries)
- 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt(such as Maldon, for finishing)
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt(mentioned in step 2)
Instructions
- 1
Toss 250 g unbleached all-purpose flour and 3/4 tsp fine sea salt together in a wide bowl. Drop in 200 g unsalted cultured butter, cold and cubed. Using your fingertips or a bench scraper, press the butter cubes flat into rough walnut-sized flakes without rubbing them down completely. Pour in 100 ml ice water mixed with 1 tsp fresh lemon juice. Use a stiff spatula to bring the shaggy mass together into a rough brick. Wrap and transfer to the fridge to chill.
10 min
Tip: Do not overwork this dough into a smooth paste. Visible flat sheets of cold butter are what generate towering lamination.
- 2
Melt 40 g unsalted butter, for browning in a small saucepan over medium heat, swirling until the foam subsides and milk solids turn hazelnut-brown with a toasted aroma, about 4 minutes. Pour immediately into a small bowl to halt cooking, then stir in 45 g almond flour, 20 g granulated sugar, 1/4 tsp pure almond extract, and 1/4 tsp fine sea salt until a spreadable paste forms. Set aside at room temperature.
8 min
Tip: Brown butter goes from nutty perfection to burnt carbon in thirty seconds; pull it off the burner the instant amber flecks appear.
- 3
In the same wiped saucepan, combine 340 g dark sweet cherries, 30 g granulated sugar, 1 tbsp cornstarch, and 1/2 tsp lemon zest. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring continuously, until cherries release their juices and the liquid bubbles into a thick, glossy jam that coats the spoon, about 6 minutes. Spread across a shallow plate and chill in the freezer for 10 minutes to cool completely.
12 min
Tip: Warm fruit filling melts pastry butter instantly and causes leakage. Cool it until it is thoroughly chilled to the touch.
- 4
Turn the chilled dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a rough 8x16-inch rectangle. Fold the top third down and the bottom third up like a business letter. Turn 90 degrees, roll out again to 8x16 inches, and fold into thirds once more. Wrap snugly in parchment and return to the refrigerator.
10 min
Tip: If the dough feels sticky or butter begins to smudge rather than roll, slide it onto a baking sheet into the freezer for 5 minutes.
- 5
Let the laminated dough rest undisturbed in the refrigerator to relax gluten and rechill the butter layers.
20 min
Tip: Resting prevents the pastry squares from snapping back like rubber bands when rolled.
- 6
Position a rack in the middle of your oven and preheat to 400°F (205°C). Line a heavy rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
5 min
Tip: A ripping hot oven turns the moisture in the butter to steam immediately, which forces the pastry sheets upward.
- 7
Roll the chilled dough on a lightly floured counter into a 12x12-inch square, approximately 1/8-inch thick. Trim ragged edges with a sharp knife or wheel cutter, then slice into 4 equal 6x6-inch squares. Spoon 1 generous tablespoon of the brown butter almond paste onto the center of each square, spreading into a 2-inch disc. Pile a quarter of the chilled cherry mixture directly atop the frangipane.
10 min
Tip: Cut with straight downward strokes rather than dragging your blade, which pinches the delicate pastry layers together.
- 8
Fold two opposite diagonal corners of each dough square inward over the cherry filling so the tips overlap by 1/2 inch in the center like a folded handkerchief (mouchoir). Press the overlapping tips firmly together with a dab of water. Transfer the four pastries to the prepared baking sheet, leaving ample space between them. Brush exposed pastry dough with beaten 1 large egg wash, then sprinkle evenly with 2 tbsp demerara sugar.
8 min
Tip: Do not brush egg wash along the raw cut borders; egg running down the sides glues the layered edges shut.
- 9
Bake at 400°F (205°C) for 24 to 28 minutes, until the pastry is deep burnished mahogany, towering, and crisp underneath, with bubbling cherry juices. Dust immediately with 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt right as they emerge from the oven.
26 min
Tip: Look for deep chestnut color on the ridges; pale rough-puff is soggy rough-puff. If cherries bubble over slightly, that caramelizes into pure café gold.
- 10
Transfer pastries on their parchment liner onto a wire cooling rack. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving warm or at room temperature.
15 min
Tip: The molten fruit sugar and frangipane need this short rest to set so the bottom crust stays delightfully shatter-crisp.
Chef's Notes
Cami's shortcut note: Rough puff relies on cold butter doing the heavy lifting, not hours of precision turns. Don't stress about exact millimeter thickness—just keep the fat cold and handle it briskly. Don't skip this: Let the cooked cherries chill completely before assembling; warm fruit turns pastry butter to soup before it ever meets the oven.
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.