Raspberry Danish

## Book Reference

Raspberry Danish Murder

DO NOT preheat your oven yet. You must do some preparation first.

**Hannah's 1st Note:** *Frozen puff pastry dough is good for all sorts of things. When you buy it for this recipe, buy 2 packages. You'll use one package in this recipe, but keep that second package in your freezer for later. Thaw it when you want to dress up leftovers by putting them inside little puff pastry packets and baking them, or make some turnovers from fresh fruit. Puff pastry can also be used for appetizers.*

### Ingredients

#### The Pastry

* One 17.5-ounce package frozen puff pastry *(I used Pepperidge Farm, which contains 2 sheets of puff pastry)*
* 1 large egg
* 1 Tablespoon water *(right out of the tap is fine)*
* white *(granulated)* sugar to sprinkle on top

#### The Raspberry Sauce

* 1/4 cup fresh raspberries *(you can also use frozen, but you'll have to thaw them and dry them with paper towels so they won't have an excess of juice)*
* 2 Tablespoons water *(right out of the tap is fine)*
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom *(if you don't have it, use cinnamon)*
* 1 and 1/2 Tablespoon cornstarch
* 1/2 cup white *(granulated)* sugar

#### The Cream Cheese Filling

* 8-ounce package brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature *(I used Philadelphia)*
* 1/3 cup white *(granulated)* sugar
* 1/4 cup teaspoon vanilla extract

#### The Drizzle Frosting

* 1 and 1/4 cups powdered *(confectioners)* sugar *(pack it down in the cup when you measure it)*
* 1/4 cup whipping cream *(that's heavy cream, not Half & Half)*
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/8 teaspoon salt

### Directions

* DO NOT preheat your oven yet. You must do some preparation first.
* Thaw both sheets of puff pastry dough according to package directions. Do this on a floured surface *(I used a bread board)*. To prepare the surface, sprinkle on a little flour and spread it around with your impeccably clean palms.
* While your puff pastry sheets are thawing, make the raspberry sauce.
* In a medium-size saucepan, combine the raspberries with the water.
* In a small bowl, combine the cardamom, cornstarch, and sugar. Stir with a fork until they are thoroughly mixed.
* Sprinkle the contents of the bowl on top of the raspberries and water in the saucepan. Stir everything together until all the ingredients are well mixed.
* Cook the contents on the stovetop at MEDIUM HIGH heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture reaches a full boil. Continue to stir for 2 minutes. Then pull the saucepan over to a cold burner, turn off the burner you used, and let the raspberry sauce cool to room temperature.
* While your raspberry sauce is cooling, make the cream cheese filling.
* In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the softened cream cheese with the sugar and the vanilla extract. Beat the mixture until it is smooth and creamy. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave it on the counter.

**Hannah's 2nd Note:** *If you forgot to soften your cream cheese, you can do it by unwrapping the cream cheese, placing it in a microwave-safe bowl and nuking it for 10 seconds or so in the microwave.*

**Hannah's 3rd Note:** *You will not be making the Drizzle Frosting yet. You will do this after your Raspberry Danish are baked and cooling on racks.*

* Preheat your oven to 375°F, rack in the middle position.
* While your oven is preheating, prepare 2 baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper.
* Check your sheet off puff pastry to see if it is thawed. If it is, it's time to prepare it to receive its yummy contents.
* Unfold one sheet of puff pastry on your floured bread. Sprinkle a little flour on a rolling pin and roll your puff pastry out to a twelve-inch square.

**Hannah's 4th Note:** *I use a ruler to make sure I have a 12-inch square when I'm through.*

* Use a sharp knife to make one horizontal cut through the middle of the square and one vertical cut through the middle of the square. This will divide it into 4 equal *(or nearly equal)* pieces.
* Break the egg into a cup. Add 1 Tablespoon of water and whisk it up. This will be your egg wash.
* Transfer one of your cut squares of puff pastry to your prepared cookie sheet.
* Use a pastry brush to brush the inside edges of the square with the egg wash. This will make the edges stick together when you fold the dough over and the cream cheese and raspberry sauce.
* Measure out ¼ cup of the cream cheese filling and place it in the center of the square.
* Spread the cream cheese over the square evenly to within 1/2 inch of the edges.
* Spread 2 Tablespoons of the raspberry sauce over the cream cheese.
* Pick up one corner of the square and pull it over the filling to cover just a little over half of the filling. Then pick up the opposite corner and pull that over to overlap the first corner.
* Since the egg wash you used on the square of puff pastry dough acts as a glue, that second corner should stick to the first corner. If it doesn't simply use a little more of the egg wash to stick the two overlapping corners together.

**Hannah's 5th Note:** *This sounds difficult, but it's not. You'll catch on fast once you complete the first one. It takes much longer to explain than it does to actually do it.*

* When you've completed the first of the 4 squares, cut your second sheet of puff pastry and repeat the process to complete those.
* Once you have all 8 Raspberry Danish on the cookie sheets, brush the top of the pastry with more egg wash and sprinkle on a little granulated sugar.
* Bake your Raspberry Danish at 375°F for 25 to 30 minutes, or until they're golden brown on top.
* Remove the cookie sheet from the oven to a wire rack and let the pastries cool for 10 minutes. While your Raspberry Danish are cooling, make the Frosting Drizzle.
* Place the powdered sugar in a small bowl and mix it with the cream, vanilla extract, and salt. Continue to mix until it's smooth and thoroughly combined.
* Use your favorite method to drizzle frosting over the tops of your Raspberry Danish pastry bag *(or a plastic bag with one of the corners snipped off)* works well for this.

**Hannah's 6th Note:** *If you don't want to use a pastry bag to do this, simply mix in a little more cream so that the frosting will drizzle off the tip of a spoon held over the pastries.*

* When all the Raspberry Danish have been decorated with the frosting drizzle, pull the parchment paper and the Raspberry Danish off the cookie sheet and back onto the same wire rack.
* These pastries are delicious eaten while slightly warm. They're also good cold.
* If any of your Raspberry Danish are left over *(I don't think this will happen!)*, wrap them loosely in wax paper and keep them in a cool place.

### Aunt Nancy's Note

*I've made these pastries with many other fruits including strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, peaches, pears, and apricots. If you use large pieces of fruit, puree them and use ½ cup of the puree to make the sauce.*

### Lisa's Note

*I was in a hurry one day and I used seedless raspberry jam instead of making the sauce. I took off the lid and heated it a little in the microwave, just enough so that I could spread it on top of the cream cheese filling. Since pineapple is Herb's favorite fruit, I'm going to try it with pineapple jam next, if Florence can order it at the Red Owl. I'm pretty sure that Smucker's makes it.*

## Conversion Charts

See Baking Conversion Chart for non-USA baking conversions.