Apple Cheese & Pear Cheese Danishes

Apple Cheese Danish

I've never eaten a pear.  Well, let me say that again...I've never eaten a pear since I can remember eating.  I'm sure when I was a baby my mom fed me that pureed garbage stuff.  I don't really know why I haven't had one, I love pear scented lotion and hand soap.

Pear Cheese Danish

I love almost all fruits but I NEVER eat those fruit cups with the juice. YUCK!!!!  The only fruit I will eat from a can with juice is pineapple.  I guess it's a texture thing; I feel like canned fruits that are in the juice seem limp, soft, and mushy.  I like my fruit firm, like when you bite into a fresh peach, apple, maybe even a pear.?

This fall I have seen multiple pear recipes that look yummy so when I went to the grocery I picked myself up some pears. I couldn't decide which recipe to make until I saw this post and decided to make an apple danish and a pear danish.  They were both great!

Apple Cheese & Pear Cheese Danishes  
Adapted from: A Cozy Kitchen
Printable Recipe 

Yield: 2 danishes

Ingredients:

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
3 tbsp. ricotta
juice of 1 lemon
1/8 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
5 tbsp. sugar, divided
2 Gala Apples (or 2 Pears)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 box frozen puff pastry, defrosted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven 400 degrees F.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add cream cheese, ricotta, vanilla, salt, and 4 tbsp. sugar. Mix until      smooth with paddle attachment. 

3. Peel and slice your apples or pears into 1/4 inch slices and toss with 1 tbsp. sugar, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and juice of 1 lemon in a bowl with a wooden spoon.

4. Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry and roll into 11 inch by 8 inch rectangle with a floured rolling pin.

5. Place puff pastry on parchment paper and place on cookie sheet.  At an angle, slice off the top corners of pastry and cut two notches in the bottom.  Cut 1 inch strips diagonally down both sides of puff pastry, making sure to leave center intact.  You should have about 8 strips per side. (Check out A Cozy Kitchen for step-by-step photos.)

6. Add half the cream cheese/ricotta mixture to center of puff pastry and spread out evenly.  Top with slices of apple or pear.

7. Fold in the bottom and top flaps of pastry then braid the side strips.  Brush danish with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.

8. Refrigerate pastry 15 minutes until baking.  Bake 20-23 minutes or until danish is golden brown. 

9. Repeat steps 4-8 with second piece of puff pastry.

Grab some fruit at your grocery and makes some yummy fruit and cheese danishes :) These were great right out of the oven and even the next morning for breakfast, just pop 'em in the microwave about 15 seconds.