Blueberry Danishes

When living at my last apartment near the heart of downtown I would often take advantage of an early rise and walk to one of my favorite coffee shops  to snag a blueberry danish and a piping hot coffee. I'd cram a napkin in my pocket, balance the danish in one hand and carefully hold the coffee in the other to avoid spills, and make my water to the water. Now, no matter where I am, when I find myself with an opportunity to snag a fresh danish and a hot coffee I'm instantly transported to memories of the cool, quiet mornings that I spent walking blissfully around the city.

Somehow, after all those mornings spent making my way to various shops to indulge in a pastry and caffeine, I never tried to recreate it in my own kitchen. Now that I live further from those shops, my indulgences are few and far between. I recently hosted a brunch, and realized this was an opportunity to try my own hand at making a blueberry danish, and I'm sure glad I did. I'm almost afraid to tell you how easy it was to do, because once you know the truth you'll be trying to bribe people to come over for brunch every weekend, just so you can make these delights. I mean, you can make them for yourself, but be warned that you'll probably try to eat them all... they're sinful, to say the least.

Makes 12 danishes

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup sugar +  1 tablespoon for sprinkling
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 quart fresh blueberries  (4 cups)
• 1 package puff pastry, thawed  (I used Tenderflake, 397 grams)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Mix the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
3. Dust a flat work surface with flour, then roll out half of the package of puff pastry into a large rectangle, about 10x15". You want the pastry to be about 1/8" thick, like the thickness of a kitchen towel. 
4. Cut the pastry in half lengthwise, then into thirds crosswise to make 6 squares. Pierce each piece with a fork randomly around the surface, about 4-6 times. Fold each corner in to make a diamond shape, no need to be perfect with this part - just fold and go! 
5. Place the pastries evenly apart on one baking sheet. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture in the middle of each pastry, then top with a heaping pile of blueberries (about 1/3 cup each). 
6. Repeat steps 3-5 with the remaining puff pastry and bake them all for 15-20 minutes (mine took the full 20 minutes, but every oven is different so I strongly recommend you peek in at the 15 minute mark. The pastry will be puffed and light golden, and you shouldn't see any exposed raw dough from the top. 
7. Remove the danishes from the oven and let them cool for at least 5 minutes before serving. 

Notes: You can change out the blueberries for whatever is fresh or in season, such as strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, peaches -- any tender fruit will do. If you use a firm fruit like pears or apples I recommend that you slice and cook them down first (you can saute or roast apples/pears beforehand).