Recipe: Cheese Danish

These Cheese Danish are so delicious... warm flaky pastry... rich sweet cheese filling...and best of all ...a snap to make… the filling mixes up in minutes… and using purchased frozen puff pastry makes this recipe something you can throw together on a lazy Sunday morning for a terrific addition to a breakfast or brunch.

This is a recipe slightly adapted from the Barefoot Contessa…. she used ricotta cheese in her recipe… I substituted sour cream instead… I like the creamy texture the sour cream gives it, as well as, the tangy sour cream offsets the sweetness of the cream cheese and sugar.

I even made the filling the night before… storing it in an airtight container in the fridge… I set the coffee pot up the night before…all I had to do was get up … take the puff pastry out of the freezer for about 40 minutes to get it to room temperature… took the filling out of the fridge to get it to room temperature also…. flipped on the coffee… and headed to the shower.

The puff pastry rolls out in minutes.. all together the prep time is about 20 minutes which includes 15 minutes in the fridge to have the danish set before baking…. which it can do while you get the eggs and bacon going…..

Enjoy!



Recipe: Cheese Danish

All you need:

2 sheets frozen puff pastry (a box), thawed
1 brick (8 ounces) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 heaping tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
Zest of 2 lemons
Pinch of salt
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water (egg wash)

All you need to do:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl beat the cream cheese and sugar on low speed until smooth.

Add the sour cream, vanilla, lemon zest and salt. Mix at low speed until incorporated.

Add the eggs one at a time at low speed… until incorporated.

DO NOT OVER MIX. Set aside.

Carefully unfold the puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface,
Roll it with a floured rolling pin to smooth out the folds..the surface should be about a 10x10 square.

Cut the pastry square into four equal squares.

In the center of each square drop a dollop of filling.

Using a pastry brush… brush the egg wash along the border of each square.

Fold 2 opposite corners to the center, covering the filling.

Brush the pastries with the egg wash.

Place on the prepared baking sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Bake at 400 degrees F for about 20 minutes or until puffed and golden.

Note: I drizzled a little icing over them for a little added sweetness.