Inspiration comes from anywhere these days – the internet, TV shows, overhearing someone misinterpret a menu item.
While shopping at the cheese counter recently, a pair of patrons misunderstood the Danish Havarti on the meltdown as a Cheese Danish with Havarti.
Sadly, they were informed that there were no Havariti danishes behind the counter. But it sparked a thought. Why not make a traditional style cheese Danish, but use Havarti.
That idea spiraled into incorporating some Fra’mani Rosemary Ham and Beau Bien Herbed Red Onion Marmalade. Grabbed some puff pastry on the way home, and ta da! A Danish with Havarti.
Danish with Havarti
Ingredients
- 0.25 – 0.5 lbs piece Danish Havarti
- 0.25 lbs Fra’mani Rosemary Ham, thinly sliced from the counter
- ¼ cup Beau Bien Herbed Red Onion Marmalade
- 1 package all-butter puff pastry, thawed
- 1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp of water
- fresh rosemary or thyme, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Grate the Havarti on the large holes on a box grater.
- Coarsely chop the sliced ham.
- In a small bowl, mix together the shredded Havarti and chopped ham.
- Unfold out the sheets of puff pastry and cut each one into 8 squares. You may need to gently stretch the pastry to get a square shape.
- To make a "kite" shape, start with the corners at the 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock postitions. Fold the 6 o'clock corner up to the 12 o'clock corner to make a triangle. Cut two slits up from the folded line, towards the 12 o'clock corner, leaving a small section still attached. Unfold the square.
- With the attached corners at the 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock position, grab the 9 o’clock corner and fold it across to the 3 o’clock corner. Reach your fingers through the middle square and grab the 3 o’clock corner and pull it underneath the piece over the top, returning it to the 9 o’clock position. Flatten to create a little pocket in the middle. (See photos below.)
- Spoon a small amount of jam in each cavity. Top with a scoop of the cheese and ham mixture.
- Brush the exposed pastry with egg wash and place in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to firm up.
- Set in the 400F oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the pastry is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly. Sprinkle with chooped rosemary or thyme.
- Let cool and enjoy.
