This month, Megan’s making a delicious apple and cheese Danish!
Another tasty guest post from the author of What Megan’s Making!
I’ve been wanting to try an easy homemade breakfast Danish recipe for awhile now, and working with Michigan Apples gave me the perfect excuse! I love baking with apples, but don’t always think to bake with them in the spring and summer. However, since apples and cheese go so well together, it only seemed natural to make an apple and cheese Danish. I’m so glad I tried this recipe, and you will be too, because it’s absolutely delicious. I made this recipe for breakfast last weekend, and Mike and I both loved it. We ate it warm out of the oven, with a light glaze icing on top, and we just kept remarking on how good it was. Even Zeke got to try some and kept asking for more bites off my fork.
The crust of the Danish is very light and flaky, and since it makes use of already prepared puff pastry dough, it’s also incredibly easy to work with. The cheesy apple mixture on the inside is quick to mix together and provides plenty of flavor without being heavy or overly rich. The lemon flavor is subtle and adds just the right amount of tartness to counteract the sweetness of the sugar. The pastry as a whole wasn’t overly sweet, so I served it with a light glaze on top, but you could also just sprinkle the top with powdered sugar. Either way, you’re sure to love it.
Ingredients
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 extra large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 Tbsp ricotta cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp grated lemon zest (zest of 1 lemon)
2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp water, for egg wash
2 Michigan apples, peeled and cut into thin slices
sugar and cinnamon, for sprinkling
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add the egg yolks, ricotta, vanilla, salt, and lemon zest and mix until just combined.
- Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface and roll it slightly with a floured rolling pin until it’s approximately an 11×8 rectangle. Slice 1-inch strips diagonally down both sides of the puff pastry, leaving the center uncut. Spoon half of the cheese filling onto the uncut center of the puff pastry. Layer half of the apple slices on top. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Fold the strips over the filling, alternating sides, until you’ve worked your way down the puff pastry. Fold in the ends so that the apple/cheese mixture is sealed inside. It should look a little bit like a braid. Brush the top with egg wash and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry.
- Bake the pastries for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking, until puffed and golden brown. Serve warm.
- *If desired, make a thin icing by mixing ~3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar with 1 Tbsp milk. Drizzle over the warm pastry before serving.
Adapted from the Food Network
A Pennsylvania native, Megan, her husband Mike and their son live in the Grand Rapids area. She blogs about cooking and baking at www.WhatMegansMaking.com and isn’t shy about her love for Michigan apples!
