Year End Final Exam (mystery ingredient lemon): 

15 minute Puff Pastry

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
150 mL high-quality butter (5 ounces), cold
1/3 cup ice cold water

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, add the flour and salt. Stir to mix.
2. Next, cube the butter and then add it to the flour bowl. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter into the dough. It will be very crumbly, and you're done when the butter is in uniform pieces all about the size of peas.
3. Next, make a hole in the center of the dough and pour in all of the water. Using a fork, stir to combine the dough.
4. Flour a cutting board, and add the dough. Pat it into a rough square. You will still see chunks of butter and it will seem too dry, but do not add extra water. The dough will come together with each roll.
5. Flour the rolling pin, and roll the dough out in front of you into a rectangle about 10" long. No need to be too precise here.
6. Fold the bottom third of the dough over the middle of the dough. Fold the upper third of the dough on top of the middle too. Rotate the dough one-quarter turn, and repeat. Use additional flour as needed to prevent the dough from sticking.
7. Roll out, fold, and turn the dough at least 6 or 7 times.
8. When done, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour, or overnight. Dough may be frozen, too.
9. Roll out with flour for desired puff pastry use.

Lemon Cream Cheese Danish

Ingredients 

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
120 mL cream cheese, softened
¼ cup Confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp Vanilla 
Zest of 1 lemon
1 cup Lemon Curd
1 egg
1 tablespoon water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Mix cream cheese, confectioner’s sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon zest together until thoroughly combined.
3. Unfold thawed puff pastry sheet and roll it out into a rectangle that is ¼ inch thick.
4. Cut 1 inch strips down the left and right thirds of the puff pastry, leaving the middle section untouched.
5. Add cream cheese mixture to the middle of the puff pastry and then spread the lemon curd over it. Fold the end of the puff pastry up and over, then fold the top strip from the left in towards the middle. Fold a strip from the right inwards to overlap the left strip. Continue alternating left and right down the length of the puff pastry.
6. Make a simple egg wash by mixing the egg and water and brush the egg wash over the puff pastry.
7. Place in a 400 F oven to bake for for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
8. While the pastry bakes make the glaze by mixing the confectioner’s sugar, milk, vanilla, and lemon zest together in a bowl.
9. Once the pastry is cooked and has cooled to room temperature drizzle the glaze over and enjoy!