Often people say that guavas taste like a cross between a ripe pear and strawberry but to me… well, it’s just guava.

Let stand on baking sheet for 3 minutes, and then cool on wire rack.If you want to make life better, bring guavas into your world.

Brush the top dough with egg wash, sprinkle with coarse sugar, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and fully puffed.

(Optional: You can now add an extra horizontal score on each end of the dough to add in extra puffing).

On the other 6 squares, score the top with 3-4 lines, lengthwise, careful not to slice all the way to the top and bottom of the square.

Brush the perimeter of these squares with egg wash. of cream cheese (Note: The amount of filling depends on personal taste). of guava paste and top with 1 heaping Tbs.

In the middle of 6 of the squares, add 1 heaping Tbs.

Cut dough into 12 equal squares, and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Sprinkle powdered sugar on flat surface, and lay out puff pastry dough on top.

Create an egg wash by combining the whisked egg and the water in a small bowl.

If you have a hard time finding guava paste at your local international market, know that it is easy to find online.

*I do hear from time to time that some of the more authentically Cuban ingredients I use are sometimes hard to find. To Shannon, I am thrilled that our mutual love of food and blogging brought us together, and am immensely thankful for the opportunity to be a contributor to The Nosher. Shannon gets close for an official kitchen selfie. She suggested alternative tips and tricks to help me master this dish, and in the end, our official taste-testers had a very difficult time telling the difference between the original and the home-made version. Shannon, on the other hand, has proven herself to be a baking maven, and I was so thankful she were here during my big experiment. Sure, I can hold my own with a few cakes and breads, but a baker I am not (at least, not yet). Can you tell which is which?Īlthough I love to cook, I’ve never believed baking to be my strength in the kitchen.

The good news? They’re SUPER simple to make! The bad news? They’re SUPER simple to make! Evidence of our official taste test. Fear not, loyal Porto’s fans… I still plan to buy them when I’m in the area, but for the 95% of the time that I am not, I thought it’d be a good idea for me to learn to make them myself. Since I no longer live particularly close to this bakery, I decided that under Shannon’s watchful eye, I would attempt to duplicate the guava and cheese magic at home. This pastry works great regular-sized or in the 2-bite variety. When Shannon asked me what she could bring to our gathering, I suggested she stop at my all-time favorite bakery, Porto’s, to pick up my #1 treat: Guava and Cheese Pastries, which Porto’s accurately calls, “Refugiados,” or “Refugees.” I’ve explained in the past that I think this is the perfect name for these strudels, because one bite of these babies transports any Cuban-native right back to their motherland! But for my culinary adventure with Shannon, I had big plans for this batch. It was so nice to meet Shannon in person, and we quickly realized we had lots in common. We planned to spend some time together visiting, cooking, and bridging the gaps within our relationship that had developed via email and online correspondence. A few weeks ago, my friend and editor of The Nosher, Shannon, came to visit.

Best guava paste