Vanilla Cream Cheese Quesitos

Quesitos:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix together cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
3. Cut pastry sheet into 3” x 2” rectangles.
4. Place about 1 tablespoon cream cheese mixture in the middle of the cut pastry.
5. Grab an edge and pull it in tightly to the center. Fold up the tips on the opposite ends toward the center. Continue to roll the dough until you create a little cocoon. Pinch the rolled edges shut.
6. Place on a greased cookie sheet.
7. Brush with egg whites and roll in sugar. The sugar is to taste, but ideally a quesito has a nice sugary crust that crunches when one takes a bite.
8. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown.
9. Remove quesitos from oven and brush with a moderate amount of Orange Glaze (see below) over each one.
10. Allow 10 minutes to cool before eating.

Orange Glaze:

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, orange zest, and orange juice; bring just to a boil so the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat.

Stove Top Espresso:

1. To make espresso with a stovetop espresso maker, first unscrew the top part of the espresso maker and the funnel insert.
2. Fill the lower part of the espresso maker with cold water, making sure not to fill it past the safety valve.
3. Replace the filter funnel and fill with 3 tablespoons of extra-fine ground or espresso-grind coffee.
4. Replace the top of the espresso maker and screw on tightly.
5. Place the espresso maker on high heat until it boils and the top container fills with brewed coffee (You’ll hear the bubbling and steaming when it’s almost ready. If you want to check on it, lift the lid carefully so you don’t get burned.)
6. Café con leche (coffee with milk), is a Cuban espresso served alongside a cup of hot or steamed milk. The espresso is poured into the glass of hot milk and, then, stirred making it a cafecito.