Everything is possible in pastry. You can make classic desserts or more complicated ones. One thing is for sure, you rarely get it right the first time, but when you do, the result is always very good. This giant fruit danish recipe is a crowd pleaser!
This super-sized pastry is best served with copious amounts of coffee. The raspberry jam can easily be swapped out for your favorite fruit conserve, and a dusting of powdered sugar once cooled can replace the glaze.
Ingredients
1 sheet (roughly 8.7-oz) puff pastry, thawed if frozen
Preheat oven to 400° and place a medium baking sheet in to preheat. In a large bowl using a hand mixer or whisk, beat cream cheese until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add powdered sugar, egg yolk, lemon zest, and salt and beat until fully combined.
Line a large cutting board with foil, then rub a couple teaspoons of vegetable oil onto foil to coat. Place puff pastry on foil, then fold each corner in 2” in to make an octagon. Transfer cream cheese mixture to the center of the pastry and smooth into an even layer, leaving about 1” pastry uncovered around the edges. Spoon jam into the center of the cream cheese mixture and smooth into an even layer, leaving a 1” border of visible cream cheese mixture. Beat reserved egg white with 1 teaspoon water and brush all over exposed pastry dough, then sprinkle with granulated sugar. Place cutting board in freezer for 10 minutes.
When ready to bake, carefully remove hot baking sheet from oven and place somewhere stable and heat-proof. Remove cutting board from refrigerator and hold over hot baking sheet. Gently slide foil (and Danish) off cutting board onto baking sheet. Bake until pastry is golden, 20 to 25 minutes, turning halfway through. Let cool at least 45 minutes before serving.
Make glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and milk until smooth, then drizzle over cooled Danish.
