Cherry-Cream Cheese Danishes

Note: The pastry dough recipe I used was the “Danish Pastry Dough” from “The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Pastry Arts.” Previews of the book are not available online, so I decided against posting the exact recipe – I do recommend the book if you’re interested in really learning the basics of pastry baking. The link included below has an almost identical recipe to the one in the book. Suggestions to make it more authentic would be to use half cake flour and half bread flour, as well as to add a pinch of ground cardamom, which makes a huge difference in the flavor! To save time, you could also use frozen puff pastry with equally good results!

Cherry-Cream Cheese Danishes

Makes 8 danishes

• 1 recipe Danish Pastry Dough(add a pinch of cardamom!), or 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, see headnote.
• 1/2 package Neufchatel cheese or cream cheese
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 1 cup Grown-up Cherry Puree
• 1 egg yolk mixed with 2 tsp water

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.  Line two baking trays with parchment paper.  Lightly flour a counter and rolling pin.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, and almond extract until smooth.  Set aside.
3. Take half of the pastry dough out of the fridge (leave the other half in the fridge until you finish the first 4 pastries so that the dough does not get too soft).  Roll out into an 8×16 inch rectangle, or to about an eighth of an inch thickness.  Cut pastry rectangle lengthwise four times, so that you have four 4×8 inch rectangles.  Cut 4-5 inch long strips on either side of each rectangle. Place two tablespoons of cream cheese filling in center of danish.  Top with two tablespoons of cherry puree.  Cross bottom right strip over filling, then bottom left strip over that, continuing this pattern until you have used all of the strips.  Press top of pastry gently with your rolling pin and transfer to baking sheet.  Brush with egg yolk wash.
4. Continue with second half of dough when first batch of danishes is formed.  Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown on the top.  These are best straight out of the oven!