Raspberries and Cream Danish with Vanilla Glaze

Note: Plan for 2 hours of additional inactive prep time.

For the puff pastry:
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add the butter, and using a pastry cutter or clean hands work the butter into the flour until coarse crumbles form. Add the water and fold the ingredients together until just moistened.

On a floured surface, add the dough. Form it into a square with floured hands and cut in half. Set one half aside while you roll out the other half into a 12 inch long rectangle with a floured rolling pin. Fold the top 1/3 of the dough down half way and then fold the bottom 1/3 of the dough over the top 1/3. Rotate the dough one-quarter turn, and repeat the last step at least 5 more times, ending with a folded square of dough. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Repeat for the 2nd half of dough. Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours before using. If you plan on freezing the dough, wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and then place in a gallon-sized freezer bag. Store for up to 2 months.

For the danish:
Preheat your oven to 400 F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment fixed (or an electric hand mixer), cream together the cream cheese, egg yolk and granulated sugar until smooth. Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract and mix again until incorporated. Set aside.

On a floured surface, take the 2 sheets of puff pastry dough (thawed if you are using frozen) and unfold them. Roll out each sheet with a floured rolling pin to 1/8-1/4 inch and cut four equal-sized circles out of each sheet (leaving you with 8 circles total). I used a 3-inch circular cookie cutter.

Using a paring knife, indent the dough 1/2 inch in from the edge to create a smaller circle. Be careful not to cut straight through the puff pastry. Prick the area in the center of the indentation with a fork, but do not prick the 1/2 inch border (this will allow the dough to puff up along the edges, but stay deflated in the middle). In the center (not going beyond the indentation), add a tablespoon or two of the cream cheese mixture and spread evenly within the smaller circle. Add about 5-6 raspberries, or as many as you can fit comfortably on top.

Mix together the egg and water in a small bowl. Brush the 1/2 inch edge of the pastry with the egg wash. Repeat this step for the rest of your dough circles and filling. Place the pastries on your prepared baking trays.

Bake the pastries for 12-14 minutes or until brown along the edges. Remove from oven. Let them cool for 10-15 minutes before drizzling on the glaze (recipe below). Garnish with sliced almonds.

For the glaze:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioner’s sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract and fine sea salt until smooth and creamy.

Notes:
1. Store-bought frozen puff pastry may be substituted.
2. I used weight measurements for the amount of all-purpose flour to use in the recipe for puff pastry to obtain accuracy. I find it best to weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale or something similar for recipes as delicate as this one.