Strawberry Rhubarb Danish
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I think rhubarb is a love or hate it kinda food. It is quite tart and fibrous, but this perennial vegetable is wonderful in baked goods. Often cooked with sugar and/or other fruits such as strawberries for pies, tarts and jams. It can also be pickled, used in chutney, cake, sauces and drinks. Often a large plant and when it grows, it really grows, so you’ll want many different uses if you think you’re gonna use all the stalks. Of course you can freeze the stalks too!! It will not be as crisp when thawed, but if cooking it anyway, you’re not impacting too much.
Today’s “perfect for summer” Strawberry Rhubarb Danish uses the classic combination of rhubarb and strawberries. The rhubarb and strawberries are first cooked with sugar to help sweeten and break down the fibrous texture into a jammy mixture. This gorgeous fruit combo is added to a layer of sweetened cream cheese and nestled within flaky, golden puff pastry. The final touch is a generous drizzle of vanilla glaze. It is lovely for brunch, dessert or enjoyed with coffee or tea.
The rhubarb and strawberries can be cooked ahead of time and using pre-made puff pastry makes it a snap to assemble and bake. This tart is best eaten the day it is made as the rhubarb has the tendency to weep after it sits for too long. Much like it would if made in pie form. If you do have left overs, allow to cool completely before covering and refrigerating.
As an added note rhubarb leaves are toxic, causes mild symptoms such as stomach upset to more serious issues like kidney failure, yikes!!
Author: Compelled to Cook
Strawberry Rhubarb Danish
Ingredients
Fruit Filling
- 1 cup diced strawberries
- 1 cup diced rhubarb
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp water
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Layer
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Pastry
- 1 sheet thawed frozen puff pastry
- 1 large room temperature egg
- 1 tbsp milk
Glaze
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2-1 tbsp milk
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Fruit Filling
- In a medium pot combine fruit and sugar.
- Cook over medium for 5-7 minutes until fruit is soft and jammy.
- Whisk together cornstarch and water and stir into fruit mixture. Allow mixture to come to a full boil, stirring often.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature.
Cream Cheese Filling
- In a small bowl combine cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth.
Pastry
- Preheat oven to 425°F
- Lay the puff pastry sheet on a large sheet of parchment paper.
- Sprinkle lightly with flour and roll to a 12"x12" square.
- Cut approximate 4" fingers on parallel sides of the pastry, leaving an uncut 4-5" center.
- Move cut pastry to your baking tray.
- Spread Cream cheese filling over the center uncut portion of the pastry, leaving a 1/4" border at each end to crimp the pastry together. Top with fruit filling.
- Alternate the cut pastry fingers over the filling, tucking in the ends if needed.
- Whisk together egg and milk. Brush liberally and evenly on the pastry.
- Bake in pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes until golden.
- Remove from oven onto a cooling rack and allow to cool to slightly warm/room temperature before proceeding.
Glaze
- In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, milk and vanilla. Whisk until smooth and a drizzling consistency.
- Once the pastry has cooled, drizzle with glaze and cut into 1 1/2" slices and serve.
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