pastry

Today is National Cheese Lover's Day! I love cheese, so I felt compelled to create a cheese-based recipe. So, I had left-over puff pastry from this baked brie recipe and mascarpone from the holidays. After a quick Googling, I came up with this puff pastry and mascarpone cheese danish recipe.This Wisconsin girl literally grew up gnawing on chunks of cheddar at snack time. I'll never forget one of the first dates with my husband, we were on our way to a drive-in movie and we stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few snacks.Without even thinking about it, I ended up with all cheese or cheese-flavored snacks, nothing sweet, and nothing else besides cheese! Jade and I laughed about it, because back then, I didn't think much about my cheese obsession. Now that I'm a bit more grown-up (I was 23 when we first met!), I would definitely choose a healthier and more well-rounded snack selection, but it's a funny first date memory.This puff pastry and mascarpone cheese danish recipe is super simple to make. I added a layer of difficulty for myself because my puff pastry was dried out, so I had to bring it back to life by adding water, flour and rolling it out by hand. If you have a new sheet of puff pastry, this recipe will literally be a snap.There is only one thing I would change about my first attempt at this recipe. Next time, I will make sure to have longer strips, so there is more overlap. While my pastry was baking, the strips separated, so I lost a bit of the cool criss-cross pattern. I would suggest you ensure the strips are well-overlapped, so when you roll out your pastry, make sure it is wide enough so when you fold over the strips there is 1-2 inches overlap.Despite my final product not being quite as pretty as my pre-oven pastry, it still taste really delicious. The mascarpone filling is rich and fluffy, the jam adds a brightness to the buttery pastry. If you have left-over puff pastry, you should definitely give this simple puff pastry and mascarpone cheese danish recipe a try!If you have left-over puff pastry, you should definitely give this simple puff pastry and mascarpone cheese danish recipe a try! Puff Pastry and Mascarpone Danish Recipe Ingredients: 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup strawberry preserves 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk 2 tablespoons flour 1 sheet store-bought puff pastry, thawed Directions: Preheat oven to 350. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, flour, mascarpone, vanilla and 1 egg yolk and mix well. Dust the puff pastry and roll to flatten and smooth. If you have left-over pastry like I did, and it is dry, add water until the dough is pliable. Roll out to desired shape, I made a rectangle, approximately 12 inches by 4 inches. Place the puff pastry on a parchment-lined baking dish. Spread the mascarpone down the middle of the pastry. Top with the jam. Using kitchen sheers or a sharp knife, cut one-inch strips along both sides of the pastry. Fold the strips to create a criss-cross pattern. Egg wash the entire pastry. Bake your mascarpone danish for 25 - 30 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool and cut into strips to serve. Enjoy!