A Great Way To Start The Day....

I am always on the look out for good things for breakfast. It is the one meal of the day that I tend to neglect because I really don't feel like cooking first thing in the morning.
Last year I was watching "Barefoot Contessa" and saw a recipe for wonderfully simple cheese danishes. I really wanted to try them, but never got the chance until I came across the recipe again in one of her cookbooks.
They really are wonderfully easy, and extremely tasty, as with all of my favorite recipes look and taste like a lot more energy than they are.
I made them for playgroup this morning and actually cut the puff pastry smaller so I could get more of them and make them more kid size friendly and they turned out wonderful!
I plan on making these for Christmas breakfast...they are filling and we can eat them quick and get to presents!


Easy Cheese Danish

8 oz cream cheese as room temp
1/3 cup sugar
2 extra large egg yolks at room temp
2 TBSP ricotta cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 TBSP grated lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
2 sheets (one box) frozen puff pastry defrosted (I usually leave it in the fridge over night)
1 egg beaten with 1 TBSP water for egg wash

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Place the cream cheese ans sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream them together on low speed until smooth. With the mixer still on low, add the egg yolks, ricotta, vanilla, salt and lemon zest and mix until just combined. Don't whip!
Unfold one sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured board and roll it slightly with a floured rolling pin until its a 10x10 inch square. Cut the sheet into quarters with a sharp knife.
Place a heaping tablespoon of cheese filling into the middle of each of the 4 squares. Brush the border of each pastry with egg wash and fold two opposite corners to the center, brushing and overlapping the corners of each pastry so they firmly stick together. Brush the top of the pastries with egg wash. Place the pastries on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry and refrigerate with filled Danish for 15 minutes.
Bake the pastries for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking until puffed and brown. Serve warm.

If you make these in advance, reheat them in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes.