Danish Puff

(back to blog)

 

Danish puff is a simple recipe that begins with a pastry base covered with a Pate a Choux dough culminating in a cloud of heavenly cream cheese icing and fragments of nuts, it is flat out stunning. As this contains 3 sticks of butter, needless to say we do not have it often (maybe once every 6 years) and is not for the faint of heart!

pastry layer:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup flour

2 tablespoons water

Pate a Choux:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup water

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup flour

4 eggs

topping: (this makes a lot, I usually halve it)

8 ounce cream cheese, softened

1 stick butter, softened

4 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350*F. Cut 1/2 cup butter into 1 cup flour. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons water over the mixture: mix. Form into a ball and divide in half. On a large ungreased baking sheet, pat each dough half into a 12x3 inch strip. 

In a medium saucepan heat 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup water to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and quickly stir in almond extract and 1 cup flour. Stir vigorously over low heat until mixture forms a ball, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Beat in eggs (all at once) until mixture is smooth and glossy. Divide in half, evenly over the pastry strips. Bake about 6o minutes or until topping is crisp and brown. Cool (topping will shrink and fall, forming a custardly top of puff).

 

With a hand held mixer, combine butter, cream cheese and vanilla, slowly adding the powdered sugar until of the desired spreading consistency. Spread on completely cooled puffs and sprinkle with chopped nuts.

(back to blog)

bon appetit!