Cream Cheese Danish

Found in SL May 2023 issue and here

 

1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, at room temperature
3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest
3 Tbsp. apple jelly
1/2 tsp. warm water, if needed
1 (17.3-oz.) pkg. frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
All-purpose flour, for surface
2 (6-oz.) pkg. fresh raspberries or blackberries or 2 thinly sliced plums or peaches
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (from 2 medium lemons)
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds or chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Stir together cream cheese, granulated sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest in a medium bowl until smooth, and set aside.

Whisk apple jelly in a separate medium bowl until mostly smooth, adding 1/2 teaspoon warm water, if needed. Set aside.

Unfold 1 puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 10- x 11-inch rectangle; cut into quarters. Place pastry rectangles 1/2 inch apart on a parchment paper-lined rimmed baking sheet.

Prick centers of dough rectangles with a fork several times, leaving a 1/2-inch border.

Spread half of the cream cheese mixture within the border (about 2 tablespoons per rectangle).

Arrange half of your desired fruit over the cream cheese-topped dough rectangles. Spoon half of apple jelly over fruit. Brush pastry edges with beaten egg.

Bake in preheated oven until edges and bottoms are golden brown, 22 to 30 minutes, covering loosely with foil during last 5 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning, if needed. Let cool on pan 10 minutes. Repeat with the remaining puff pastry sheet, cream cheese mixture, fruit, apple jelly, and beaten egg.

Add powdered sugar to a medium bowl; gradually stir in 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice, adding remaining 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice as needed until smooth. Drizzle glaze over pastries; sprinkle with almonds or pecans.

Nectarine Plum Turnovers

Found in Southern Living Aug 2023

 

3 large nectarines, unpeeled, thinly sliced (about 2.5 cups)

3 red or black plums, unpeeled, thinly sliced (about 1.5 cups)

3 tbsp light brown sugar

3 tsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

pinch of salt

1 17oz pkg frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed but cold

flour for work surface

1 large egg, beaten

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2-3 tbsp whole milk, as needed

 

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Stir together nectarines, plums, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl until combined. Set aside.

 

Roll each sheet of puff pastry (2 sheets total) into a 12" square on a lightly floured work surface. Cut each square into 4 6" squares (8 squares). Place about 1/3c nectarine mixture on center of each square. Brush edges of filled dough with beaten egg. Fold dough in half over filling to form triangles. Press edges to seal and crimp with a fork. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.

 

Brush top of each chilled pastry with some of the beaten egg. Cut 3 3/4" slits into the top of each pastry. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, 22-25 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool slightly on baking sheet, about 10 minutes.

 

Whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla and 2 tbsp of the milk in a small bowl until smooth, adding up to 1 tbsp remaining milk, 1 tsp at a time, until desired consistency. Drizzle glaze over slightly cooled turnovers. 

Plum Sauce

I had just finished watching Paula Deen on a cooking show and watched her and her son Bobby make some tilapia with a peach sauce. We had some plums that were super ripe in the fridge so I thought hmmm, plum sauce. I had no idea it was actually a dish! So I went searching for a recipe and I found this one on AllRecipes.com. After reading the comments, I noticed a few people that had also substituted fresh plums for the plum jam. So here's our tweaks because we'll definitely make this again.

6-8 fresh ripe plums
2 cups of sugar
4 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp dried minced onion
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp ground ginger

Peel plums and put in your choice of chopper. We used our Magic Bullet and also added in the red pepper, garlic and onion so that it would be all smooth. Put it all together in a pan and let it bubble til it boils, continually stirring. Remove from heat after a few minutes and it should thicken a bit.