Danish Pastries

These were pretty amazing, a flaky buttery pastry filled with two fillings - pineapple and kaimir (a vodka, brandy and vanilla liquor) and a blueberry and kirchwasser filling. These weren't as hard as I thought they would be to make. I used a simplified danish pastry method that worked brilliantly!

Ingredients: Danish Pastry

1/4 cup warm water

1/2 cup milk, at room temperature

1 large egg, at room temprature

1.25 cups white bread flour

1 package dry yeast

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbs. sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, sliced thinly

Ingredients: Filling - Pineapple and Kaimir

1 can (15.25 oz or 432g) of crushed pineapple, preferably in it's own juice

3 Tbs. corn starch

1 Tbs. cold water

1-3 Tbs. sugar

3 Tbs. Kaimir

Ingredients: Filling - Blueberry and Kirchwasser

1 can (15oz or 425g) blueberries in light syrup or in own juice

3 Tbs. cornstarch

1 Tbs. cold water

1 Tbs. sugar

3 Tbs. kirchwasser

Ingredients: Egg Wash

1 egg

1 Tbs water

Ingredients: Sugar Syrup

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

Method: Pastry
1. In a small bowl add the water, milk and egg and whisk together with a fork. Set aside.

2. Place the flour, yeast, salt and sugar into a food processor and pulse once to mix.

3. Add the cold slices of butter and process for a short time. You want the butter to still be fairly large (1/2 inch pieces).

4. Place the contents of the food processor into a large bowl.

5. Add the egg/milk/water mixture and using your hands or a rubber spatula combine the dry and wet ingredients. Don't mix it too much, you still want chunky butter bits left.

6. Cover the bowl in plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight (it can be placed in the fridge for 4 days).

7. Remove from the fridge and allow to come to room temp (for me this took around an hour).

8. Roll the pastry into a 20 inch square.

9. Fold the dough into thirds (draw three horizontal lines on the dough, fold the top down, then the bottom one towards the middle - like folding a letter).

10. Repeat this process three times.

11. Cut the dough in half, and wrap each half and place in the fridge for 30 min before using.

Method Filling: Pineapple

1. Place the can of pineapple in a small saucepan and put over medium high heat.

2. in a small bowl combine the corn starch and cold water to make a paste.

3. Add the vanilla liquor and sugar (keep tasting until the balance is right).

4. Once the pineapple is hot stir in the corn starch mixture.

5. Bring to a boil, and keep stirring until thickened.

6. Let the filling cool before use.

Method Filling: Blueberry
1. Place the can of blueberries in a small saucepan over medium high heat.

2. Add the sugar and kirchwasser (once again keep tasting in this process making sure the balance is right for you).

3. In a small bowl add the corn starch and water and combine to make a thick paste.

4. Once the blueberries are hot, add the corn starch and stir.

5. Keep stirring until the mixture has thickened.

6. Allow to cool before use.

Method: Egg Wash

1. Beat the egg and water together in a small bowl.

Method: Assembly

1. Using half the danish pastry roll out into a square.

2. Cut the square in half, and then into thirds making 6 small squares.

3. Place 1 Tbs of filling in the center of the square.

4. At each corner of the square use a sharp knife to cut towards the filling stopping around 1 cm away from the filling (see picture).

5. Pick up one corner and place in the center, then another, until all 4 corners have been placed in the center (see picture).

6. Put a little of the egg wash on the center and squeeze together lightly to hold it down.

7. Place on a baking tray covered with parchment paper.

8. Cover with a clean tea towel and place in a warm draft free area, and let rise for 1.5 hours.

9. Preheat the oven to 350F.

10. Just before baking use a pastry brush to brush the egg wash over the pastry.

11. Bake for 15-18 min until puffy and golden.

12. Make the sugar syrup by placing the sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to the boil.

13. When the pastries are out of the oven and still a little warm brush them with the sugar syrup.

14. These will keep in an airtight container for 1 day.

Adapted from "How to Be a Domestic Goddess?: Baking and the Art of Comfort Food" by Nigella Lawson, pp 326-8.