Giant Danish Recipes

GIANT DANISH

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a jelly roll pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• 2. Unroll dough from 1 tube. Pat out, pressing perforations together until dough completely covers bottom of pan. Bake for 4 minutes.
• 3. While dough is baking, combine cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla in a bowl until smooth.
• 4. Remove dough from oven and cool slightly. Spread cheese mixture over dough to the edges. Scatter pie filling over cheese mixture. (Note* pie filling should not cover completely!)
• 5. Unroll remaining dough from tube. Separate triangles and evenly arrange on pie filling. (Note* the triangles should not cover completely!)
• 6. Bake for 30 minutes or until top crust is golden and cheese mixture is set. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack before cutting into squares. (**Dust with powdered sugar if desired.)

EASY CHEESE DANISH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• Place the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream them together on low speed until smooth. With the mixer still on low, add the egg yolks, ricotta, vanilla, salt, and lemon zest and mix until just combined. Don't whip!
• Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured board and roll it slightly with a floured rolling pin until it's a 10 by 10-inch square. Cut the sheet into quarters with a sharp knife. Place a heaping tablespoon of cheese filling into the middle of each of the 4 squares. Brush the border of each pastry with egg wash and fold 2 opposite corners to the center, brushing and overlapping the corners of each pastry so they firmly stick together. Brush the top of the pastries with egg wash. Place the pastries on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry and refrigerate the filled Danish for 15 minutes.
• Bake the pastries for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking, until puffed and brown. Serve warm.

ASSORTED INDIVIDUAL DANISH

Steps:

• 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 remonce and/or 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.
• Pinwheels: Spread with remonce. Sprinkle on some extra cinnamon sugar. Brush the of the square with egg wash. Cut a slit from each corner almost into the center, stopping just short of the center. Fold every other tip into the center, overlapping them, and press firmly. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Proof, covered, about 1/2 hour. Press the center down with your finger where the tips overlap and fill with 1/2 rounded teaspoon jam or filling.
• Eggwash, sprinkle with coarse sugar, and bake about 20 minutes, or until nicely colored.
• Envelopes: Spread square with remonce. Sprinkle with finely chopped chocolate mixed with sugar. Turn the square so that a point is at the top. Put and elongated mound of about 2 tablespoons of cheese filling from top to bottom. Egg wash the side corners. Fold one corner over the filling and press firmly. Fold the other end over the top and press very firmly to seal. Place on lined baking sheet and proof, covered, about 1/2 hour. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar and chopped chocolate. Bake about 20 minutes, or until nicely browned. (Or spread with lemon curd and then cheese filling and garnish before baking with toasted sliced almonds.)
• 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.
• Turnovers: Spread with remonce. Place a big dollop of chunky homemade applesauce or pear sauce on one side of the square. Egg wash the edges and fold over into a triangle. Press around the edge with a fork to seal. Proof, etc. Before baking, egg wash and sprinkle with coarse or pearl sugar.
• Whisk together the flour and sugar. Drizzle in the melted butter as you mix with your fingertips or a rubber spatula.
• Blend the sugar with the softened cream cheese until thoroughly combined. Don't overbeat or aerate. Mix in the yolk. Chill until firm.
• Mix to combine. You can use any spice or combination of spices.
• 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.
• 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
• Cream the butter, sugar (and cinnamon, if added). Keep refrigerated. Let soften at room temperature to spreadable consistency before using.

GIANT CINNAMON-CHEESE DANISH

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 9-inch glass pie plate with shortening, or spray with CRISCO® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray. Separate dough into 5 rolls; set icing aside. Unroll 1 roll into long strip of dough; reroll loosely and place in center of pie plate. Unroll second roll; loosely wrap around first roll, cinnamon side in. Replace any cinnamon that falls off. Repeat with remaining rolls, coiling dough in pie plate into spiral shape.
• In small bowl, beat remaining ingredients except icing with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spoon cream cheese mixture into decorating bag with tip or gallon-size resealable food-storage plastic bag with 1/2-inch hole cut in bottom corner. With tip or corner of bag about halfway down into rolls, pipe mixture between strips of dough, starting at center and working to edge of pan, using all of mixture.
• Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until center is thoroughly baked and edges are deep golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Meanwhile, remove cover from icing; microwave on Medium (50%) 10 to 15 seconds or until thin enough to drizzle.
• Drizzle icing over warm coffee cake. Cut into wedges. Serve warm.

GIANT CINNAMON-CHEESE DANISH

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350*.
• Lightly grease a 9" glass pie pan with non-stick spray.
• Seperate dough into 5 rolls. set icing aside.
• Unroll 1 roll into long strips of dough; reroll loosely and place in center of greased pie pan.
• Unroll second roll, loosely wrap around first roll, cinnamon side inches Replace any cinnamon that falls off.
• Repeat with remaining rolls, coiling dough into spiral shape.
• In small bowl, beat all remaining ingredients with electric mixer on medium until smooth.
• Spoon cream cheese mixture into a decorating bag with tip or gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag with 1/2" hole cut in bottom corner. With tip or corner of bag about halfway down into rolls, pipe mixture between strips of dough, starting at center and working to edge of pan, using all of the mixture.
• Bake at 350* for 25-35 minutes or until center is thoroughly baked and edges are golden brown.
• Cool 5 minutes. Meanwhile, remove cover from icing; microwave on medium (50%) power for 10-15 seconds or until drizzling consistency.
• Drizzle icing over warm coffee cake.
• Cut into wedges.
• Serve warm.