2tbspsWater+ 2 tbsps, optional, required if you planning to drizzle lemon curd
Flour for dusting.
Instructions
Prep – Work
Defrost the puff pastry sheets and make sure they are in the room temperature. Please follow the instructions on the pastry sheet cover. I had to keep it outside for about 40 – 45 mts. So plan ahead for this recipe.
Mix the cream cheese and condensed milk and make sure they are well incorporated. You can use a hand mixer if required. I did not use a hand mixer, and because of condensed milk, it slightly became runny.
Steps
Spread about 2 tbsps. Of flour on 2 tbsps of sugar on a working area.
Unfold the pastry sheet and cut it lengthwise along the folded edges and cut that into two further. So basically you will have six rectangles.
Now roll each rectangle and smoothen them.
Using a fork, mark an inner rectangle like below. You will be filling the cheese and lemon curd mix inside this area and fold the edges. So this marking helps a lot.
Using fingertips, apply water around the edges.
Fill the center with cheese mix and then spread the lemon curd. If your lemon curd is thick, add 1 tbsp of water and bring to semi-solid consistency and then spread it on top. As you can see, I just added a blob of lemon curd on top.
You can fold it in your preferred way. I just folded the corners and brought them towards the middle and slightly folded the other edges and couple of them I left as is.
You can also leave it without folded and bake as is. The fork pricks help the outer edge to budge up.
Preheat the oven to 350 deg F.
Place these cheese danish carefully on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Bake these lemon cheese Danish for 10 minutes or until the pastry sheet browns up. Do not bake more than 13 minutes.
Let it cool so that the cream cheese mix firms up. Just before serving, you can mix a tbsp. of lemon curd with 2 tbsps. Of water and sprinkle the same on top.
Notes
Condensed milk is optional. You can replace it with 3 tbsps of sugar or as per your preference.
If your lemon curd is thick, add 1 tbsp of water and bring to semi-solid consistency and then spread it on top. If you want to add more, add more water to lemon curd but drizzle it after baking and once its cool down.
Instead of puff pastry sheet, you can use crescent rolls or other pastry sheets too.
You can find the homemade pastry sheet recipe here in the Jam Tart recipe.
You can fold the cheese Danish in your preferred way.