Pistachio Cherry Danish Recipes

CHERRY-PISTACHIO BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Using a stand mixer, beat the butter and the sugar together until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, incorporating each egg fully before adding the next. Add the vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. With the mixer on low, stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture until just combined. Stir in the dried cherries and pistachios. Cut the dough in half and place the dough on the prepared baking sheet. Shape into 2 logs, each about 12 inches long.
• Bake until just starting to brown at the edges, about 20 minutes. Cut each log on the diagonal into 1/2-inch-wide slices. Place the slices back on the baking sheet. Bake on the first side for 5 minutes. Remove, turn the biscotti over to the second side and bake until the biscotti are crisp, an additional 5 minutes. Let cool.

CHERRY DANISH

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the milk, 1/4 cup shortening, sugar, 2 eggs, salt, mace, extracts and 2 cups of flour; beat until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. , Punch dough down. On a large floured surface, roll dough out to a 24x16-in. rectangle. Dot half of the dough with 1/4 cup shortening; fold dough lengthwise. Fold the dough 3 times lengthwise, then 2 times widthwise, each time dotting with some of the remaining shortening. Place dough in a greased bowl; cover and let rise 20 minutes., On a floured surface, roll dough into a 16x15-in. rectangle. Cut into 8x3/4-in. strips; coil into spiral shapes, tucking ends underneath. Place in 2 greased 15x10x1-in. baking pans. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. , Beat remaining egg. Make a depression in the center of each roll; brush with egg. Fill with 1 tablespoon pie filling. Bake at 375° for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.Combine confectioners' sugar, vanilla and milk; drizzle over rolls. Sprinkle with almonds.

PISTACHIO AND CHERRY BOMBE

Steps:

• In a food processor, grind the pistachios and granulated sugar into a fine meal.
• Transfer pistachio meal to a medium bowl; add the zest, honey and egg whites and combine the ingredients using your hands until fully integrated.
• Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, pressing evenly until about 1/3-inch thick, and bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. The mixture should still be soft and pliable, like the center of a chewy cookie, with some color on top. When you poke it with your finger, the dent should remain.
• Line a 10- to 12-inch, freezer-proof bowl (about 4 quarts) with parchment paper and plastic wrap, allowing enough overhang to cover the top of the bowl. Set aside about one-third of the biscotti dough (this will form the bombe's base later) and press the remaining dough into the bowl while the dough is still warm. (The layer should be as even and thin as possible, ideally about 1/3-inch thick.) Set aside until completely cooled to room temperature, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, roll out the remaining biscotti dough into a rough circle between two pieces of clean parchment paper. It should be about 1/3-inch thick. Trim it to fit the opening of the bowl. Set aside to cool completely.
• Prepare the filling: In a medium saucepan, cook the cherries with the granulated sugar over medium heat for 10 minutes; they should be sweet and soft with a good amount of liquor. Set aside to cool completely.
• Remove 2 pints of ice cream from the freezer to soften slightly, about 10 minutes. When the biscotti bowl has cooled and the ice cream is easily scoopable but not at all runny, spoon 2 pints of ice cream into the center of the pistachio bowl and spread evenly with a spatula in the bottom and up the sides, about 1-inch thick. Place a nesting bowl or any smaller bowl in the center and use the bowl to tamp the ice cream down. Transfer the large bowl to the freeze to chill until firm, 2 to 3 hours.
• Remove another pint of ice cream from the freezer and let soften 10 minutes at room temperature. In a medium bowl, fold the cooled cherries and their juices into 1 pint of ice cream, leaving some pockets of vanilla. Spoon this mix into the center of the biscotti bowl (which is now covered with a frozen layer of plain vanilla ice cream). Freeze until firm, 2 to 3 hours.
• Spread the remaining 1/2 pint vanilla ice cream on top of the cherry layer. Cover the top of the bowl with the rolled-out remaining biscotti and tamp down. Freeze at least 8 hours, or overnight.
• To serve, turn the bombe out onto a plate. Sift confectioners' sugar on top. Using a Microplane, grate pistachios all over the top of the bombe. More cherries are a lovely garnish. Slice and serve immediately.

CRAZY-DELICIOUS CHEESY CHERRY DANISH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• To make the icing: In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine powdered sugar, cornstarch, vanilla extract, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of cold water. Mix until the ingredients have dissolved.
• Add marshmallow creme and microwave for 5 seconds, or until the creme is soft enough to fold into the mixture. Stir until smooth. Add whipped topping and stir again, until evenly combined. Cover and refrigerate the icing until you're ready to ice the Danish.
• To make the Danish: In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, oats, granulated sugar, soymilk, and almond extract, and stir until thoroughly mixed. Fold in cherries and set aside. This is your filling.
• Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray. Roll out the dough on the sheet into a large rectangle of even thickness. If using crescent roll dough, pinch together perforated seams to seal. Arrange baking sheet in front of you so that the short sides are on the left and right and the long sides are on the top and bottom. Spoon the cherry filling lengthwise across the middle third of the dough, leaving 1/2-inch borders on the left and right of the filling.
• Starting from the top, make 12 vertical cuts-about 1 inch apart-along the top section of the dough, stopping about 1/2 inch from the filling. Repeat with the bottom section of the dough. This will create 1-inch-wide strips of dough on both the top and bottom of the filling.
• Alternate folding the 1-inch strips from the top and the bottom over the filling, covering the filling completely and creating a crisscrossed, "braided" appearance. When you reach the last few strips, cross them toward the middle of the Danish. After all the strips have been folded, fold the left and right sides of the dough in toward the filling, so the filling cannot escape, and pat firmly to seal.
• Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until pastry is crispy and golden brown. Allow it to cool completely.
• Just before serving, stir icing and drizzle it over the entire Danish. Cut Danish into 8 slices and indulge! (P.S. Refrigerate leftovers.)
• PER SERVING (1/8th of recipe, 1 slice): 147 calories, 5g fat, 312mg sodium, 22.5g carbs, 0.5g fiber, 10g sugars, 4g protein

PISTACHIO-CHERRY SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Pulse the butter, sugar, honey, egg yolk and vanilla in a food processor until creamy, scraping down the processor with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the flour and pistachios and pulse until the dough just comes together, 4 to 5 pulses.
• Transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment paper and knead until uniform. Divide the dough in half. Roll each half into a compact log, about 1 inch in diameter. Wrap the logs individually in parchment paper or plastic wrap and freeze until firm, at least 30 minutes and up to 3 weeks.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Slice the logs into 1/4-inch-thick rounds and place them on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are firm and lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
• Spoon about 1/4 teaspoon cherry preserves on the undersides of half of the cookies, then sandwich with the remaining cookies. Store in an airtight container 2 to 3 days.