Berry Cheese Braid Food

STRAWBERRY (OR ANY BERRY REALLY) PUFF PASTRY BRAID

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Using an electric mixer, whip the cream cheese and sour cream in a small bowl until fluffy. Add the granulated sugar and whip until well combined, making sure there are no lumps. Reserve for later use.
• Beat the egg and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl with a fork.
• Unfold 1 pastry sheet on a lightly floured flat surface. Roll the pastry into a 14-by-12-inch rectangle. Spoon half of the cream cheese mixture lengthwise down the center of the pastry. Cut slits 1 inch apart from the 2 sides of the pastry rectangle within 1/2 inch of the cream cheese mixture. Arrange half of the strawberries down the center of the pastry on top of the cream cheese mixture. Starting at one end, fold the pastry strips over the strawberries on a diagonal, alternating sides, to cover the strawberries. Repeat the entire process with the remaining pastry sheet, cream cheese filling and strawberries. Brush the pastries very lightly with the egg wash (otherwise they won't rise). Sprinkle with the demerara sugar and top with pistachios.
• Bake until golden brown, 30 minutes. Let cool on a rack for about 20 minutes before serving.

BERRY CREAM CHEESE DANISH

Steps:

• 1. In a mixing bowl using beaters, dissolve yeast in warm water. With the mixer on low speed, stir in milk, sugar, oil, salt, and eggs until combined.
• 2. Slowly add 2 cups of flour. Beat until smooth. Mix in enough remaining flour to make the dough easy to handle. Replace beater with a dough hook, knead in medium-low speed until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.*
• 3. Place in greased bowl; turn greased side up. Cover with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Set aside to rise in a warm place until about double in size, about 2 hours.
• 4. While dough rises, prepare the fruit filling. Place sliced strawberries and blueberries in a 1-quart pot along with water, sugar, and cinnamon. Heat until the fruit is soft. With a potato masher crush the fruit leaving some bits and pieces for texture. Bring to boil.
• 5. In a separate bowl, mix corn starch and 3 - 4 tablespoons of water. When the fruit mixture is at full boil, add corn starch mixture slowly and blend thoroughly with a whisk. Mixture should thick nicely rather quickly to the consistency of a loose jam type mixture. Set aside to cool.
• 6. While the fruit mixture cools, make the cream cheese filling. In a mixing bowl, mix softened cream cheese, egg yolk, sugar, and vanilla extract. Scrape the bowl once, mixing until smooth and well blended.
• 7. When dough is ready, punch down dough. Cover with inverted bowl; let rest for 15 - 20 minutes.
• 8. When dough is done resting, preheat over to 350 degrees. Divide dough into two equal portions. Roll out one portion on lightly floured counter. Roll out into a rectangular shape about 15 inches long and 8 inches wide.
• 9. Cover large cookie sheet with cooking spray cooking sheet. Place dough on the center of a cookie sheet. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, place 10 - 12 evenly spaced slices along each side creating strips. Slice carefully leaving the center 1 - 2 inches of dough unsliced, creating a 'bed' for the fruit and cream cheese mixtures.
• 10. With a plastic spatula or spoon, scoop about half of the cream cheese mixture on the 'bed' of the dough allowing some to get close to the inner edge of the sliced dough.
• 11. Place half of the fruit mixture on top of the cream cheese mixture. Spread the fruit mixture so it covers the majority of the cream cheese mixture.
• 12. Flip ends of dough over onto of the mixtures. Pick up one strip of sliced dough from each side of the pastry and pull up gently and tuck one under the other to tie.
• 13. Repeat until all stripes of sliced dough have been tied. Using a second cookie sheet, repeat this entire process with the other portion of dough.
• 14. In preheated oven, bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes. Make sure to only place one cookie sheet at a time in oven.
• 15. When the first pastry is done, place the pan on a rack to cool. Then place the second pastry on a cookie sheet to bake. While the first pastry is cooling on the pan, make the glaze.
• 16. In a mixing bowl, beat powdered sugar, softened butter, vanilla, and hot water until smooth.
• 17. When the first pastry is cool enough to move, place it on the wire rack and cool completely. Follow the same cooling steps for the second pastry as well. When both pastries are completely cooled, drizzle glaze over both. You can serve immediately or wait until the glaze has set, about 15 minutes.
• 18. *If a dough hook is not available, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic for about 5 minutes.

BERRY-CHEESE BRAID

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F Have a baking sheet ready.
• Stir cream cheese, egg yolk, and 1/4 cup sugar until blended. Slightly beat the egg white in a small bowl.
• Place puff pastry lengthwise in center of baking seet and unfold. With a rolling pin, roll out to a 12-in-long rectangle. Spoon cheese filling in 2 1/2-inch wide strip down center.
• On both sides of filling, cut 1-inch wide strips from filling to edge. Fold strips at an angle across filling, overlapping and alternating from side to side. Brush with egg white; sprinkle with remaining 1 tbsp sugar.
• Bake 25 minutes until puffed and golden. Cool slightly on sheet on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.