Berry & Ricotta Danishes
There’s something magical and fascinating about puff pastry and the way the buttery dough rises up to form crisp, golden layers of which there are anywhere between 513 up to 1459. This week I’ll be learning for a second time in my life how to make puff pastry from scratch. I first made it at the Pacific Culinary Institute in Vancouver. It was time-consuming work requiring what seemed like endless rolling combined with deft handling of the dough. And, then there was the butter. Oh so much of it, carefully and methodically rolled in between each layer. It is thought that early puff pastry found its origins in Rome but was then re-introduced and perfected in the 17th Century by legendary French chef Marie Antoine Carême. Carême, who likened the art of pastry to architecture, is credited with developing the ‘six turn’ method that resulted in unparalleled layers of light, flaky pastry. Well that’s all well and good if you’re a master pastry chef. I’m most certainly am not. Yet. For now I'll just stick to the store-bought kind, which for my purposes, is fantastic. While I’m not creating the kind of otherworldly delights found in Paris’ Poilane, I am winning friends nonetheless thanks to Careme pastry. Unlike other ready-made pastry Careme is actually handmade using natural ingredients. Based in South Australia's Barossa Valley, Careme sells four types of artisan pastry including sour cream shortcrust and all-butter puff pastry which I used to make these berry and ricotta danishes.
Total Steps
13
Ingredients
14
Tools Needed
8
Ingredients
- 12 pieces strawberries, washed, hulled and halved
- 1/2 cup blueberries, washed
- 2 tablespoons castor sugar
- 1/8 cup water
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/4 cup castor (berry) sugar
- 1 piece egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons icing sugar
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3 sheets store-bought puff pastry
- 1 sheet baking paper
Instructions
Step 1
Method:
Step 2
Thaw puff pastry according to packet instructions. Once thawed, place pastry in the fridge to keep <a href="/GZFHJC5K">cool </a>while you prepare the other ingredients.
Step 3
Place the berries in a saucepan over a medium-low <a href="/XZFHRHHF">heat. </a>Sprinkle on castor sugar and add water. Cover saucepan with a lid and shake the saucepan around to <a href="/6BTCX64M">coat </a>the berries. <a href="/SNDRKPSQ">Poach </a>berries for about 5 minutes or until they soften but still retain their shape. Set aside to <a href="/GZFHJC5K">cool.</a>
Step 4
<a href="/H3S4YV46">Pre-heat </a>the oven to 180C (350F).
Step 5
Make the ricotta filling by combining all ingredients in a <a href="/7S3QCKWK">mixing </a>bowl. <a href="/7S3QCKWK">Mix </a>well with a wooden <a href="/NX588QBK">spoon </a>to thoroughly combine. Set aside.
Step 6
Prepare the <a href="/3BL7DPJ8">glaze </a>by <a href="/7S3QCKWK">mixing </a><a href="/RP8LCDPZ">icing </a>sugar and lemon <a href="/QDWRNXYW">juice </a>together in a small bowl. <a href="/7S3QCKWK">Mix </a>well and set aside.
Step 7
Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and place sheets on a <a href="/WZLWW3YP">clean,</a> <a href="/RF7SRX43">dry </a>surface. Use a small, sharp knife to <a href="/XZBDDD5G">cut </a>10 8cm x 6cm (3" x 2.5") rectangles. Place 5 of the pastry rectangles on the lined <a href="/RNT367Z2">baking </a>sheet, making sure there is space in between them as they will expand. Lightly brush edges with a little water. We will call these the "pastry rectangle bases".
Step 8
<a href="/XZBDDD5G">Cut </a>smaller rectangles out of the remaining 5 pastry rectangles so that you have small frames of about 1.5cm (1/2") in width.
Step 9
Danish1
Step 10
Place the frames on <a href="/R34ZSY3M">top </a>of the pastry bases on the <a href="/RNT367Z2">baking </a>sheet. See the diagram below.
Step 11
Danish2
Step 12
Fill the middle of the frame with about 3-4 tablespoons of ricotta mixture. <a href="/R34ZSY3M">Top </a>with several berries (reserve some for <a href="/R34ZSY3M">topping </a>once the danishes are baked). Repeat process with remaining pastry frames.
Step 13
Place in the oven and <a href="/RNT367Z2">bake </a>for 15 to 18 minutes or until the pastry puffs up and is golden. Remove from oven and <a href="/GZFHJC5K">cool </a>on a wire rack. <a href="/R34ZSY3M">Top </a>with remaining <a href="/SNDRKPSQ">poached </a>berries and sprinkle on a little <a href="/RP8LCDPZ">icing </a>sugar just before <a href="/Y6MVNCHX">serving.</a>