Cherry chocolate cheese danish

By mutzali

Ingredients

• For the chocolate filling:
• 1/2 recipe danish dough
• •4 cup (3/4 lb) chocolate cake scraps
• •1 egg, lightly beaten
• •2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• •2 tbsp Kirsch
• •1/2 tsp almond extract
• •1/8 tsp salt
• For the curd cheese filling:
• •1 1/2 cups (12 oz) fresh curd cheese
• •1/4 cup + 2 tbsp sour cream
• •Zest of 1 large lemon
• •3 tbsp icing sugar, sifted (or to taste)
• •1/8 tsp (pinch) salt
• •1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• For the cherry filling:
• •1/2 cup granulated sugar
• •1/4 cup Kirsch
• •1/4 cup brandy (you can use all Kirsch or all brandy, whatever you have in your home bar)
• •1/4 cup water
• •1/2 scraped vanilla bean used for making the dough
• •2 cups Bing cherries, stemmed and pitted
• •2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• •1/3 cup whole toasted almonds, coarsely chopped
• For the egg wash:
• •1 egg
• •1 tbsp milk
• For the clear glaze:
• •1/2 cup sugar
• •1/4 cup water
• •1 tbsp light corn syrup
• For the sugar glaze:
• •1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• •About 2 tbsp Kirsch
• •A drop of almond oil (or pure almond extract)
• •1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds for sprinkling

Preparation

Step 1

Make the chocolate filling:

Process the cake scraps in the food processor until fine crumbs form. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse to combine. The mixture should be soft but firm enough to hold its shape. Add a little bit more Kirsch or water to archive the right consistency if needed. Transfer the filling onto a large piece of plastic wrap, shape into a sausage, and refrigerate until needed.

Make the curd cheese filling:

Put the curd cheese through a sieve. In a medium bowl combine the cheese with the remaining ingredients, mix well. You can cover the bowl with the filling with plastic wrap and refrigerate; or scrape the filling onto a large piece of plastic and form into a sausage. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Marinate the cherries:

Combine the sugar, Kirsch, brandy, water and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the cherries. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the vanilla extract. Cover the pan and let the cherries steep for 1 hour. Cool to room temperature. At this point the cherries are ready to be used. The cherries can be refrigerated for up to 1 week, tightly covered.

Make the clear glaze:

In a heavy saucepan, bring all of the ingredients to a rapid boil. Remove from the heat and let cool. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Form and the braid (or braids):

Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the Danish dough into a 15 x 20-inch rectangle (if making one huge braid) into ¼ inch thick. If the dough seems elastic and shrinks back when rolled, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll again. Place the dough on the baking sheet.
Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, each about 1 inch apart. Repeat on the opposite side, making sure to line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.
Form the chocolate and the curd cheese fillings into the logs, each is about 2 inches wide and 2 inches shorter than the length of the rolled dough. Place these two logs, side by side, down the center of the rectangle leaving one inch at the top and bottom of the dough free. Drain the cherries (reserve the syrup for another use) and place them on the top of the chocolate-cheese filling. Sprinkle the chopped almonds over the cherries. Starting with the top and bottom “flaps”, fold the top flap down over the filling to cover. Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling. This helps keep the braid neat and helps to hold in the filling. Now begin folding the cut side strips of the dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished. Trim any excess dough and tuck in the ends.

Whisk together the egg and milk in a small bowl. With a pastry brush, lightly coat the braid.

Proof and Bake:
Spray some cooking oil onto a piece of plastic wrap, and place over the braid. Proof at room temperature or, if possible, in a controlled 90 degree F environment for about 2 hours, or until doubled in volume and light to the touch.

Near the end of proofing, position a rack in the center of the oven and
preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

If possible, place the baking sheet with the braid on into another baking sheet of similar or larger size to protect the bottom from overbrowning. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan so that the side of the braid previously in the back of the oven is now in the front. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and bake about 15-20 minutes more, or until golden brown. If the top of the braid is getting brown too quickly, cover it loosely with foil. Cool for 5 minutes, then brush the clear glaze over the top of the braid.

Make the sugar glaze and finish the braid:
Whisk the ingredients together until completely smooth. If the glaze is too thick, add a little bit of Kirsch or water until the glaze reaches the right consistency for drizzling.

When the braid has cooled, set the rack with the braid over a baking sheet and drizzle the sugar glaze over the top. Then sprinkle the toasted sliced almonds over the glaze.