We made the cheese danish again, this time using a different method for forming the puff pastry dough. The result was pretty dramatic. A more even distribution of the cheese filling was the most noticeable improvement. I am going to give you the details of what we did to improve this already wonderful recipe beginning with the last step of the filling and then continuing with the steps on how to cut the pastry.
So, here is the cheese filling for the danish. Same recipe as before. Nothing changes. We assembled this very quickly, transferred it to this crock and placed it into the refrigerator while we set about preparing our puff pastry. This was the first time preparing the pastry this way, so we were slow and methodical, giving every step a little extra thought.
First things first, we allowed the dough to thaw. The box says thirty minutes. I say thirty to forty minutes. During the summer months if the kitchen is warm, it will be thoroughly thawed in thirty minutes. In the winter, it may take longer depending on the temperature setting in your kitchen. The dough should still be cool when you begin to work with it.
I floured a board and rolled the first sheet of dough to a twelve inch square this time. I wanted to be certain we had enough for eight danish. Once the dough was rolled, I used my cut-n-seal pastry cutter to gently mark where I would place each dollop of cheese filling. Don't press too hard and cut all the way through the dough. Just enough to make an outline.
Here is the cut-n-seal pastry cutter. The top is spring loaded. When you press down firmly, the outer right cuts the dough and an inner ring seals the dough with a decorative edge. You will see more about this as we go through the process.
The dough marked, we moved on to adding the filling. It was refrigerated for approximately 20 minutes. I prefer to make the filling and place it in the refrigerator to firm up a bit. It is easier to work with if you do that. So, a heaping tablespoon of filling in the center of each circle. And I do mean a "heaping" tablespoon. Be generous with the filling.
That done, we brushed the outside of each circle with the egg wash (one large or extra-large egg whisked together with one tablespoon water.)
You will have already rolled the second sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface to a twelve inch square when you prepared the bottom layer. Get them as close to the same size as possible. Place this top layer of puff pastry over the bottom layer and the cheese filling. If it is not perfect, then just use your fingers to pull the top layer of dough to get it to the size you need. You will see in the lower middle of the picture above that the top layer of puff pastry was a little short on one side. I just lifted it up and pulled it over until it was where it needed to be.
Now we are going to use the cut-n-seal pastry cutter. Things get a little "non-specific" at this point. I cannot tell you where to place the pastry cutter specifically. You will "eyeball" it. You will see each mound of cheese filling. Place the pastry cutter/sealer, centered, or as close as possible to center, over each mount of filling and press down firmly. DO NOT twist or turn the sealer. You see above that the outermost ring cuts the dough, but the inner ring seals the dough with a decorative edge. If you twist or turn the sealer, the inner decorative ring will tear the dough and you will have a huge mess. Just press down firmly, and then pull the sealer straight up. Move on to the next mound of cheese filling. Your dough will look just like the picture above at this point.
Carefully remove the excess dough. Have a paring knife at hand just in case there is an area where the dough cutter did not cut all the way through. Transfer to your prepared sheet pan.
Brush the tops with egg wash and place the sheet pan into the refrigerator for fifteen minutes.
When you remove them from the refrigerator, the tops will look less shiny than they did when you placed them inside. That is exactly what you want. Into a 400 degree oven for twenty minutes, Turn the tray 180 degrees at ten minutes.
After twenty minutes total cooking time, this is what you will have. The most beautiful (and delicious) cheese danish you have ever seen or tasted.
Remove them to a cooling rack to let them completely cool. The filling at this point is hot, hot, hot. Give them a few minutes to cool down. I know it will be hard to not immediately sample, but hold off.
For presentation, I sprinkled them with confectioner's sugar and lined them up on a long, narrow ceramic server. You could serve them to your guests in this way if you were serving buffet style. Add several small compotes of jams or jellies for your guests to add on the side if they like.
If you were serving a sit-down brunch, you could serve them plated, as above, atop a generous portion of jam or jelly. Here we have added a bit of low-sugar grape jelly which is divine. If you didn't know it was low-sugar you wouldn't know.
Slice a danish in half and present it in an interesting and fun way. Your brunch guests will love how this looks on the plate.
So, we re-worked the pastry part of this recipe and ended up with a better way of preparing it. In the original post we filled the pastry then folded it over to form a triangle. And that was a good way of preparing. Using the pastry cutter/sealer, as we have above, is a better way of preparing. Using the pastry cutter/sealer method ensures each person enjoys the cheese filling in every bite. In the original recipe, the filling stayed mostly in the middle of each triangle, so eating from the outside of each danish, you did not enjoy the filling in each bite. Also, I noticed in the triangle method that the points of each danish were overcooked and tough. Using the method above, the entire pastry cooks evenly. I hope you give these a try. They are very easy to make and most delicious.
So, here is the cheese filling for the danish. Same recipe as before. Nothing changes. We assembled this very quickly, transferred it to this crock and placed it into the refrigerator while we set about preparing our puff pastry. This was the first time preparing the pastry this way, so we were slow and methodical, giving every step a little extra thought.
First things first, we allowed the dough to thaw. The box says thirty minutes. I say thirty to forty minutes. During the summer months if the kitchen is warm, it will be thoroughly thawed in thirty minutes. In the winter, it may take longer depending on the temperature setting in your kitchen. The dough should still be cool when you begin to work with it.
I floured a board and rolled the first sheet of dough to a twelve inch square this time. I wanted to be certain we had enough for eight danish. Once the dough was rolled, I used my cut-n-seal pastry cutter to gently mark where I would place each dollop of cheese filling. Don't press too hard and cut all the way through the dough. Just enough to make an outline.
Here is the cut-n-seal pastry cutter. The top is spring loaded. When you press down firmly, the outer right cuts the dough and an inner ring seals the dough with a decorative edge. You will see more about this as we go through the process.
The dough marked, we moved on to adding the filling. It was refrigerated for approximately 20 minutes. I prefer to make the filling and place it in the refrigerator to firm up a bit. It is easier to work with if you do that. So, a heaping tablespoon of filling in the center of each circle. And I do mean a "heaping" tablespoon. Be generous with the filling.
That done, we brushed the outside of each circle with the egg wash (one large or extra-large egg whisked together with one tablespoon water.)
You will have already rolled the second sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface to a twelve inch square when you prepared the bottom layer. Get them as close to the same size as possible. Place this top layer of puff pastry over the bottom layer and the cheese filling. If it is not perfect, then just use your fingers to pull the top layer of dough to get it to the size you need. You will see in the lower middle of the picture above that the top layer of puff pastry was a little short on one side. I just lifted it up and pulled it over until it was where it needed to be.
Now we are going to use the cut-n-seal pastry cutter. Things get a little "non-specific" at this point. I cannot tell you where to place the pastry cutter specifically. You will "eyeball" it. You will see each mound of cheese filling. Place the pastry cutter/sealer, centered, or as close as possible to center, over each mount of filling and press down firmly. DO NOT twist or turn the sealer. You see above that the outermost ring cuts the dough, but the inner ring seals the dough with a decorative edge. If you twist or turn the sealer, the inner decorative ring will tear the dough and you will have a huge mess. Just press down firmly, and then pull the sealer straight up. Move on to the next mound of cheese filling. Your dough will look just like the picture above at this point.
Carefully remove the excess dough. Have a paring knife at hand just in case there is an area where the dough cutter did not cut all the way through. Transfer to your prepared sheet pan.
Brush the tops with egg wash and place the sheet pan into the refrigerator for fifteen minutes.
When you remove them from the refrigerator, the tops will look less shiny than they did when you placed them inside. That is exactly what you want. Into a 400 degree oven for twenty minutes, Turn the tray 180 degrees at ten minutes.
After twenty minutes total cooking time, this is what you will have. The most beautiful (and delicious) cheese danish you have ever seen or tasted.
Remove them to a cooling rack to let them completely cool. The filling at this point is hot, hot, hot. Give them a few minutes to cool down. I know it will be hard to not immediately sample, but hold off.
For presentation, I sprinkled them with confectioner's sugar and lined them up on a long, narrow ceramic server. You could serve them to your guests in this way if you were serving buffet style. Add several small compotes of jams or jellies for your guests to add on the side if they like.
If you were serving a sit-down brunch, you could serve them plated, as above, atop a generous portion of jam or jelly. Here we have added a bit of low-sugar grape jelly which is divine. If you didn't know it was low-sugar you wouldn't know.
Slice a danish in half and present it in an interesting and fun way. Your brunch guests will love how this looks on the plate.
So, we re-worked the pastry part of this recipe and ended up with a better way of preparing it. In the original post we filled the pastry then folded it over to form a triangle. And that was a good way of preparing. Using the pastry cutter/sealer, as we have above, is a better way of preparing. Using the pastry cutter/sealer method ensures each person enjoys the cheese filling in every bite. In the original recipe, the filling stayed mostly in the middle of each triangle, so eating from the outside of each danish, you did not enjoy the filling in each bite. Also, I noticed in the triangle method that the points of each danish were overcooked and tough. Using the method above, the entire pastry cooks evenly. I hope you give these a try. They are very easy to make and most delicious.
