Cream Cheese Danish

  

For the Danish

·       ▢ 6 ounces cream cheese softened

·       ▢ 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

·       ▢ 1 egg yolk

·       ▢ 2 teaspoons lemon juice

·       ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·       ▢ 1 box puff pastry, thawed

·       ▢ 1 egg white lightly beaten

For the Glaze:

·       ▢ 1 cup powdered sugar 

·       ▢ 2 tablespoons milk

·       ▢ ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Danish:

1.    Position two oven racks towards the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

2.    In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, granulated sugar, egg yolk, lemon juice, and vanilla on medium-low speed until well combined.

3.    On a lightly floured surface, roll the homemade puff pastry into a 16x8-inch rectangle, cut in half lengthwise, and then into quarters crosswise, creating 8 (4-inch) squares. (If using store-bought puff pastry, lightly roll each sheet to flatten the creases and cut to make 8 (4-inch) squares.) Brush the edges of the squares lightly with the beaten egg white. Fold each corner in about 1 inch towards the center and gently press to adhere. Place 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Brush any exposed pastry with egg white.

4.    Scoop about 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese filling into the center of each pastry.

5.    Bake for 15 minutes. Rotate pans and continue baking for another 15 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and puffed. Let cool on the baking sheet while making the glaze.

For the Glaze:

1.    While the pastries cool, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Drizzle over the warm pastries before serving.

NOTES:

Easy enough to make for Sunday brunch.

I had a half package of cream cheese (4 ounces) so I used that and decreased the other filling ingredients proportionately, more or less. It was plenty for 8 danish.

I made a half batch of glaze and still have leftovers. 

I used vanilla bean paste, just because.

 

Easy Cheese Danish

1 large egg plus 1 yolk

8 ounces cream cheese, softened 

3 tablespoons sugar, plus more for dusting 

1 teaspoon lemon juice 

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 

One 17.3-ounce box frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 baking pans with parchment paper.
2. Beat the whole egg with 1 teaspoon of water in a small bowl; set aside.
3. Beat the egg yolk, cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth.
4. Lay out the 2 sheets of puff pastry and cut each into 4 squares. Fold the corners of the squares over by about 1 inch to make octagon shapes. Spoon the cream cheese mixture evenly into the center of each (about 2 tablespoons per); do not spread the cream cheese. Brush all of the exposed pastry with the egg wash, then dust generously with sugar.
5. Bake until puffed and golden brown all over, about 18 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.

Notes: the puff pastry I used was a different weight, but similar 

These were perfect as written and I will be happy to make them again!

Mouth Watering Stuffed Mushrooms

• 12 whole fresh mushrooms 
  
• 1tablespoon vegetable oil 
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened 
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Carefully break off stems. Chop stems extremely fine, discarding tough end of stems.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and chopped mushroom stems to the skillet. Fry until any moisture has disappeared, taking care not to burn garlic. Set aside to cool.

When garlic and mushroom mixture is no longer hot, stir in cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, black pepper, onion powder and cayenne pepper. Mixture should be very thick. Using a little spoon, fill each mushroom cap with a generous amount of stuffing. Arrange the mushroom caps on prepared cookie sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the mushrooms are piping hot and liquid starts to form under caps.

NOTES:

• We've had these the past two years for Wigilia.  Tradition?
• Costco's mushrooms are especially nice.
• Source

Braunschweiger Dip

8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
8 oz. braunschweiger, mashed
1 tbsp. onion
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Salt & pepper
Mix all together very well. Chill for several hours.

NOTES:
I used about a tsp. of onion powder instead of real onion and it was fine.  This would be a great dip to bring to Klejeski or Webster Christmas.

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

First of all, Molly's version:

Ingredients
1 medium onion
2 Tbsp butter
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans tomato soup
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 8 oz package cream cheese, cubed
Directions:
Saute onions in butter. Stir in tomatoes, soup, milk, and spices. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer ten minutes. Stir in cheese until melted (or "melty").

I was making it for a group so I needed a bigger batch and I had some random, related things on hand so this is what I did:

• 2 (on the small side of) medium onions, chopped 
• Saute in some butter
• 1 carton of Aldi's Roasted Red Pepper Tomato soup
• a bunch of leaves from my basil plant
• 16 ounces of softened cream cheese

Puree it all with an immersion blender, heat, then add:

• 2 tsp. paprika
• 3/4 tsp garlic powder
• 2 28 ounce cans of petite diced tomatoes

Heat and serve with buttery croutons.

It was a hit with the Core Team!

Apologies for the terrible picture.  It tastes much better than this makes it look.

Bacon Dill Tea Sandwiches

8 oz. Cream Cheese (softened)
1/3 c mayonnaise
5 slices bacon (finely chopped)
1 tbls green onion (chopped)
1 tsp dill weed
1/8 tsp pepper
1 c. toasted slivered almonds

Mix ingredients until well combined.  Spread half of the bread with a think coat of mayo.  Spread the other bread with the cream cheese mixture.  To make each sandwich, cut off crusts, and cut into three parallel sections, or four triangles.

NOTES:
I made this for the 2012 tea but served openfaced on thin rye bread.

Shortbread Tea Tarts

Photo Credit:
J. M. Klejeski

Crust:
1 cup (227 grams) (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (55 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (200 grams) all purpose flour
3 tablespoons (30 grams) cornstarch (corn flour) or rice flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

• Lightly butter, or spray with a nonstick vegetable spray, 36 miniature muffin tins (approximately 2 inch (5 cm) in diameter).
• In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together (1-2 minutes) until smooth. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour, cornstarch and salt and mix just until incorporated. If the shortbread dough is too soft to roll into balls, cover and refrigerate for about 30-60 minutes.
• Take a scant 1 tablespoon of shortbread dough (about 15 grams) and place in the center of each muffin tin. With your fingertips, press the dough onto the bottom and up the sides of the individual muffin tin. Once filled, cover and place the tart pan, with the unbaked shells, in the freezer for about 15 minutes so the shortbread can become firm. (This will help to prevent the shortbread from puffing up during baking.)
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven.
• Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until lightly golden brown. About halfway through the baking time, if the shortbread has puffed up, lightly prick the bottom of each shortbread with the tines of a fork. Once they are fully baked, remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. When completely cooled, remove the tarts from the pan. (They can be frozen.)

Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese (not low fat)
1/2 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Fruit:
We used blueberries and raspberries, but kiwi, tiny strawberries, or blackberries would also be good.

Notes:
The original recipe is here.  There were lots of warnings about how fragile the crusts were, but mine came out of the pans really well.  I did take care to weigh the dough (15 grams, as suggested) and when I pushed them into the mini-muffin tins, I made sure the sidewalls weren't thin at all.  The impressions I made were more bowl shaped, resulting in fairly thick bottoms and walls.  Fortunately, the shortbread was delish (!) so this wasn't a problem at all.

We piped my standard fruit pizza filling into each (rather than the sweetened condensed milk version on the original recipe), topped it with a berry, and refrigerated them until the tea party.

I made the crusts early in the week, and just filled them a few hours before serving.  It is now the day after though and they're still very good.

Pumpkin Mousse Cheescake

1 c gingersnap crumbs

3 tbls sugar

1/4 c butter, melted

FILLING:

3 - 8 ounce pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 c sugar

1 c canned pumpkin

3 tbls flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp allspice

4 eggs, lightly beaten

GLAZE:

1/2 c vanilla or white chips

1 tbls shortening

Combine crust ingredients. Press into a 9 inch springform pan and bake at 325 for 10 minutes. Cool a little. (NB, I always set my springform on a baking sheet in case it gets leaky.)

Beat filling ingredients until smooth. Pour into crust.

Bake at 325 for 45-50 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool and refrigerate.

For glaze, melt ingredients and spread over cooled cake top.

NOTES: The original recipe is from Taste of Home Baking (2007). My changes are more spice and gingersnaps instead of graham crackers.

I made this for two gatherings in a row - it was delish!

Bean and Cheese Enchiladas

1 - 8oz brick cream cheese, softened
1 can refried beans(or 1 can of black or pinto beans blended)
1 can enchilada sauce
1 lb. shredded cheddar cheese(approx. 4 cups)
1 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne
12 fajita sized tortillas

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9x13 and a 9x9 pan.  Place cream cheese and beans in a bowl and blend together; add 1/2 of the enchilada sauce, spices and almost all of the cheddar cheese(reserve some for the top).  Scoop ~1/3 cup of filling into each tortilla and roll tightly placing side-by-side in a glass cake pan, spread enchilada sauce over the top and sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Serve with a side of rice.

Creamy Chipped Beef Fondue

1 1/3 cup milk

3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

2 (2.5 oz.) pkgs. thinly sliced dried beef, chopped

1/4 c green onions

2 tsp. ground mustard

1 loaf French bread, cubed

small pretzels or pretzel snaps

In a saucepan, heat milk and cream cheese over medium heat, stir or whisk until smooth. Stir in beef, onions, and mustard. Heat through. Transfer to a fondue pot or slow cooker; keep warm.

NOTES:

• Easy, a little salty, but that's okay when serving with lots of beverages. The onions were nice.
• Dried beef can be found in the same section of the store as lunch meat. It comes in a small package and looks a lot like thinly sliced deli meat. It tastes a lot like corned beef, but has a very low fat content. I suspect that keeps it from breaking down in a nasty way when heated in the fondue. The original recipe called for 2 cream cheeses and 3 dried beefs, but that would've been way too salty (and expensive, imo).
• Worked well in the fondue pot set on warm and was still nice after being kept heated for several hours.

Ham and Cheese Pinwheels

These can be made one or two days before the Tea and refrigerated.

This recipe assumes 8-count packs of 10-12 inch tortillas. Cut into eighths, it will yield about 192 pinwheels.

3 packages of large sized flour tortillas

2 8-ounce cream cheese

1 packages dry Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix

2 cups mayonnaise or Miracle Whip

2 cups shredded cheese (or cheese slices)

thin sliced ham

Mix cream cheese, dressing mix, and mayo until it is spreadable. Add shredded cheese. (unless you’re using sliced cheese)

Spread an even layer over tortillas and top with a layer of ham (and cheese, if using slices). Roll up as firmly as possible and put in an airtight container. Refrigerate several hours or overnight. Slice each tortilla into about 8 circular finger sandwiches. Keep covered and refrigerated until ready to serve.

Note: We always run out of these. The girls love them!

Mini Cheesecakes

These bite-sized delights are easy to make, take about 1/3 of the baking time of a full-sized cheesecake, and freeze well.

Start with paper liners in a mini-muffin pan.

The chocolate crusts in mine are these lo-cal Oreo snacks.

From there, mix a batch of your favorite cheesecake batter. This one is:

3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened

¾ cup sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

3 eggs

(Add 1/4 cup cocoa if you want chocolate cheesecakes.)

Combine cream cheese, sugar, cocoa and vanilla.

Mix until blended.

Add eggs, one at a time mixing well.

Spoon filling over crusts.

Bake at 325 º for 20 minutes.

I used a #60 food scoop (capacity - about 1 tablespoon) to fill each cup neatly.

After the cheesecakes cool, they'll freeze for up to 3 months. Top them when cool (or thawed). I topped these with a little Nutella.

NOTE: For this year's Tea Party, I used 5 cream cheese, 1.25 c sugar, 3.5 tsp. vanilla, 5 eggs. Yield: 107 cheesecakes.

Mock Devon Cream

1 cup (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup sugar

Blend until completely smooth. Refrigerate in a covered container for up to 2 weeks.

NOTES: Do not use light cream cheese or sour cream. I doubled this recipe for our tea party of approximately 100 people.

Three Cheese Enchiliadas

1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1 pkg. (3 ounce) cream cheese, softened

1 cup picante sauce, divided

1 medium red or green bell pepper, diced

1/2 cup sliced green onions

1 tsp. cumin (powder)

8 flour tortillas (7-8 inches)

shredded lettuce

chopped tomato

sliced black olives

Combine 1 cup Monterey Jack and 1 cup cheddar, cream cheese, 1/4 cup picante sauce, the red pepper, onions, and cumin; mix well. Spoon 1/4 cup of this mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll and place, seam side down, in a 13" x 9" baking dish. spoon remaining picante sauce over enchiladas; cover with remaining cheeses. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until hot. Top with lettuce, tomato, and black olives. Serve with additional sauce if desired.

Yield: 4 servings.

Banana Cream Cheesecake

1 pkg. white cake mix, divided
4 eggs, divided
3 tbsp. oil
2/3 c packed brown sugar, divided
2 bananas, sliced
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 c milk
1 1/2 c cool whip

Heat oven to 300 degrees. Reserve 1 cup dry cake mix. Mix remaining cake mix with 1 egg, oil, and 1/3 c brown sugar with mixer. (Mixture will be crumbly.) Press onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of greased 13 x 9 baking pan. Top with bananas.

Beat cream cheese and remaining sugar with mixer. Add reserved cake mix, remaining eggs, and lemon juice; beat one minute. Blend in milk. (Batter will be thin.) Pour into crust.

Bake 45-50 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 4 hours. Top with whipped topping. Refrigerate leftovers.

Source: Kraft foods freebie magazine

Notes: Good flavor - especially the cream cheese/banana filling. The crust is pretty firm, so be sure you keep it thin and don't let the edges and corners get too thick. I think the crust was a little sweet and would possibly try it without the extra sugar next time. Of course, I don't like sweet stuff in general, so I may be oversensitive.
This would be good to try with a graham cracker crust (but you'd need to work out the 1 c of cake mix in the batter issue).

Serve it with coffee! (Really)