A Simple Danish Pastry

Maybe your weekend needs something special.  If so, we have just the thing for you.  And it is easier than you might think!  I have always assumed that good Danish pastry would involve a yeast dough filled with butter and that it took hours to make.  Not this version.  This is simple and quite delicious….good to the very last crumb 🙂

Simple Danish Pastry

This pastry is made in two stages and then baked to golden brown perfection!

First layer:
1 cup pf flour
1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
2 tablespoons water

Cut butter into the flour using a pastry blender.  Mix in water and combine being careful not to over mix.  You just want to moisten the flour until it mostly holds together.  Form it into a ball.  Use you finger tips to pat the dough into a circle.

Second layer:
1/2  cup of butter (1 stick)
1 cup of water
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs

This layer of pastry is also known by it’s French name – pate choux.  It is basically the same recipe used to make the pastry for eclairs.

Bring butter, water, and sugar to a boil in  a saucepan.  Remove from heat and add in almond extract.  Stir in flour and salt stirring quickly so that the flour doesn’t clump up.  Mix well.  Add in the eggs one at a time being sure to beat the mixture really hard after each egg is added, until it is completely smooth.  Spread this over the top of the first layer and use a spoon to make indentations or put the dough in a piping bag and pipe it out making “rings” to hold the pastry cream filling.

Pastry cream filling:
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons  flour
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Stir milk and flour together well, and cook in a saucepan until thickened and bubbly. Reduce the heat and cook for 2 more minutes.  Remove from the heat and cool without stirring.  Cover the top of this mixture with plastic wrap so it doesn’t form a film or “skin” while cooling.  Set aside. While this mixture is cooling, beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla and almond extracts until light and fluffy.  Slowly mix in half of the cooled mixture beating on very low speed, then beat in the second half of it until very smooth. Spoon the pastry cream into the circles or indentations in the second layer of pastry.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until golden brown.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar or drizzle with glaze and top with slivered almonds. Cut into wedges and serve 🙂

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons warm milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix well until smooth.   Drizzle over warm pastry.

Enjoy!  It is good to the last crumb 🙂

Serves 8 generously