Ina Garten’s Easy Cheese Danish is light and flaky, with a rich, tart-sweet, lemony filling. Perfect for a weekend brunch, or a midday snack.
This was my first time making an Ina Garten recipe and I was both shocked and disappointed that several effeminate men didn’t casually show up with fine wine selections or to create ambiance while I cooked.
Ina Garten’s easy cheese danish.
I made these easy cheese danish because someone is repeatedly lured in by the Entenmann’s 2 for $5 sale at the entrance of our local grocery store. They did hold up to their namesake – they were very easy to make. The egg wash gives the pastry a great color. It’s a flaky, light treat, yet, the filling still makes it seem rich and decadent without bogging it down. A little sugar glaze on top really sets these off.
Puff Pastry really does take a lot of the work out of making things like Danishes. Here are some more recipes to try out now that you are addicted to it 😉
Puff Pastry Austrian Apple Strudel
Chocolate Walnut Turnovers
Chicken Bacon Brie Turnovers
If you’ve tried my version of Ina Garten’s Easy Cheese Danish recipe or any other recipe on passthesushi.com please don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know where you found it in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also follow along for more good eats and travel tips on Instagram @passthesushi & @girlcarnivore, Twitter & Facebook.
Ina Garten’s Easy Cheese Danish
Ina Garten’s Easy Cheese Danish is light and flaky, with a rich, tart-sweet, lemony filling. Perfect for a weekend brunch, or a trip to the rodeo…
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
- 2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
Instructions
- 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.
Notes
What I’d Do Different:
Less lemon. 1 tablespoon of juice was very lemon-y for my BF’s and my taste. It was nice, but personally, I would use 1 teaspoon.
More filling! The recipe calls for one heaping tablespoon, but there were leftovers and had I known that I would have packed those suckers to the brim. It really is the best part, so why not?
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 201Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 146mgSodium: 205mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 0gSugar: 10gProtein: 6g
Nutrition information provided is an estimate from nutritionix.com. For specific health concerns, please put the recipe into your Dr recommended nutrition calculator.
What I’d Do Different:
Less lemon. 1 tablespoon of juice was very lemon-y for my BF’s and my taste. It was nice, but personally, I would use 1 teaspoon.
More filling! The recipe calls for one heaping tablespoon, but there were leftovers and had I known that I would have packed those suckers to the brim. It really is the best part, so why not?
vtkitchen
Sunday 30th of January 2011
yum, these look fantastic. i was just going to ask where on earth on the east coast were you able to watch fireworks at this time of year =)
Liz
Sunday 30th of January 2011
That cream cheese filling oozing out of the pastry looks SO wonderful...I wish I had two or three (or more) here for breakfast! YUM.
Kate @ Diethood.com
Saturday 29th of January 2011
Love the recipe and I love the post!! I haven't been horseback riding since I was this high :-).
Medeja
Saturday 29th of January 2011
Danish.. I love this recipe, cause everything with cream cheese tastes great :)
The Mom Chef ~ Taking on Magazines One Recipe at a Time
Friday 28th of January 2011
Oh my gosh. Is that cheese oozing out of that last picture? I so badly want one....no, all.....of those. They look outstanding. Ina strikes again!