Cheese Danish

I have to admit, I love Danish, but not necessarily cheese Danish. I went into this recipe ready to try something new and I am glad I did! I began by preparing the cheese mixture in the food processor (what did people do before them?!). Cream cheese, lemon zest, sugar, and egg blended together to create the smooth, cheesecake-like filling. While the cheese chilled in the fridge, it was time to turn my attention to the dough. The recipe called for half of the Danish dough I prepared the day before. Since the dough had chilled overnight, it rolled extremely easily and retained its cool temperature--one of the keys to a flaky pastry. The rolled dough was then cut into squares and topped with a dollop of the cheese mixture. I decided to hedge my bets and I used a boysenberry jam for half of the Danishes (just in case my hatred for cheesecake proved unchanged). To shape the pastries, I placed one corner of the dough over the filling and placed the diagonal corner on top, sealing the edges with water. The Danishes proofed for one hour and went back into the fridge for a final fifteen-minute chill before getting baked. After 16 minutes in a 400-degree oven, the Danishes were finished. I brushed each pastry with a thin apricot glaze to make them shine, and then I was ready to sample! I can't say enough about these--they are flaky, buttery, and so much better than the Danishes I usually associate with cheap continental buffets. Sadly, I still don’t love the cheese filling (shocker), but overall this recipe was awesome.

On deck: Spiced Cardamom Twists