Assorted Individual Danish

By á-46

Ingredients

• Fillings:
• Recipe courtesy Peggy Cullen
• puff pastry
• Egg wash (one egg, lightly beaten with 2 teaspoons milk)
• Jam (raspberry and apricot)
• Cheese filling
• Homemade chunky apple or pear sauce or cranberry conserve
• Cinnamon sugar
• apples
• Toppings:
• Streusel
• Toasted sliced almonds

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a rectangle measuring a little larger than 20 x 10 inches when relaxed. Brush off any excess flour.

Square off the edges with a pizza cutter. Cut the rectangle into 10 (5 inch) squares. Spread each with the filling. Form the pastries. Place on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper. Proof, in a warm draft free place, covered with a dish towel, until they are a little puffy and a finger pressed lightly into the dough leaves a slight indentation. Brush lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar or topping. Bake about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a rack. While still warm, brush lightly with warm apricot glaze or drizzle with icing.


Cheese pockets: Spread the square with remonce. Place a rounded tablespoon of cheese filling in the middle of the square. Brush the corners with egg wash. Fold two opposite sides up and press firmly, as in the envelopes above. Bring the bottom corner up and press firmly over the fold. Lastly, bring the top corner up and across the fold and pinch it to seal. Proof, covered, as above. Egg wash and sprinkle the top with streusel. Bake about 25 minutes, until nicely browned.


Streusel:
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
About 2 tablespoons melted butter
Whisk together the flour and sugar. Drizzle in the melted butter as you mix with your fingertips or a rubber spatula.

Yield: 3/4 cups

Cheese filling:
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 yolk, slightly beaten
Blend the sugar with the softened cream cheese until thoroughly combined. Don't overbeat or aerate. Mix in the yolk. Chill until firm.

Cinnamon Sugar:
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Mix to combine. You can use any spice or combination of spices. Yield: 1 cup

Apricot Glaze:
1/4 cup apricot jam
1 teaspoon water (approximately)
Place the apricot jam and water in a small saucepot and warm over medium high heat until it dissolves. Just before boiling, remove from heat. Dilute with a little more water if necessary until it is thin enough to brush evenly. Apply immediately with a soft, flat pastry brush.

Sugar Icing:
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
About 1 tablespoon milk
Whisk a very small amount of milk into the sugar until all the lumps are gone. Continue to add milk, a few drops at a time, until it ribbons off the whisk. Drizzle it over the warm pastry using your fingertips, a fork, or the whisk. Yield: 1/2 cup