Cheese Danish

Around Christmastime every year, we make these cheese cookies.  They have cheddar cheese, a lot of butter, and rice krispies in them.  I know they don't sound good, but they are.  Actually they are tied for my favorite Christmas cookie.

I know this post is not about Christmas or even cookies.  My point is that sometimes things that don't necessarily sound like they go together, most definitely go together.

Whenever I hear "cheese" followed by "danish," I think, "those 2 things together would be disgusting."  But then I remember that cheese danishes are possibly my favorite pastry out of all the pastries and there's no sharp cheddar involved.

It's weird how you can just forget how much you love something.  There have been quite a few foods from my childhood that I've rediscovered in the past few years and for the life of me I can't remember why I don't eat them every day!

I can honestly say that I'd never had a homemade danish of any sort before I made these a little while ago (even if they are only semi-homemade), but I promise you cheese danishes, I'll never forget about you again!

CHEESE DANISH
Recipe from Ina Garten
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 c. sugar
2 egg yolks, at room temperature
2 Tbsp. ricotta cheese
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
zest of 2 lemons
2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
1 egg
water

1.  Beat together cream cheese and sugar until smooth.  Add in egg yolks, ricotta cheese, vanilla, salt and lemon zest.  Stir just until combined.

2.  Unfold one sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and roll out until it is about a 10x10" square.  Cut into 4 squares.  Repeat with second sheet of puff pastry.

3.  Beat 1 egg with a splash of water to make an egg wash.

4.  Spoon a heaping tablespoonful of the cheese mixture onto each square.

5.  Brush the outside edges of the pastry with your prepared egg wash.  Bring opposite corners together over the cream cheese and pinch together.  Brush egg wash on the top of the pastry.  Repeat until all 8 pastries are finished.

6.  Place each pastry on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and bake at 400˚ for 20 minutes (rotate pan 180˚ one time while baking).

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