When it comes to braiding, most people think of styling long hair or making wicker baskets. Many probably wouldn’t make an immediate association with food, yet they’re wrong not to. As you’ll see, this clever skill can also be brought into the kitchen to create a wonderful early morning treat. And all it takes is some neat fingerwork to make your very own tasty masterpiece!
Blueberry Danish Roll
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cream cheese
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- puff pastry
- 4 cups blueberries
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 whisked egg
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp sliced almonds
- icing
Instructions
- Mix the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract until you have a smooth mixture. Roll out the puff pastry and spread a large strip of the cream cheese filling down the middle of it.
- Fold sugar and cornstarch into the washed blueberries. Now spoon them on top of the cream cheese filling.
- Cut 12 equally-sized strips on both sides of the pastry. Make sure that you cut deep enough into the pastry on both sides. Alternately lay the strips over the filling in a diagonal pattern. That's how the braiding is done.
- Brush egg on top of the Danish roll before covering it with brown sugar and sliced almonds. The pastry is baked at 375°F for 35 minutes. Add icing for the finishing touch before serving.
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Once baked, the zesty fruitiness of the fresh berries marries perfectly with the marvelously creamy filling in a light, crispy pastry shell. You can of course experiment with various flavors and colors by using different berries in the filling — what a great way to start the day!