On Tuesday, I mentioned that I’m going to start just linking to recipes that I didn’t make any changes to. This is one of those recipes. I’d never worked with puff pastry before, but the idea of a Reuben danish was so novel and exciting (and so incredibly appropriate for my brother-in-law, whose birthday I made it for) that I conquered my puff pastry fear and followed the recipe to the letter.
Spoiler alert: I created a monster. Puff pastry is my new favorite thing ever. You’re going to be hearing a lot more about it soon. The short version: keep your dough cold, but not too cold, and the results will be phenomenal. Danish, croissants, and easy tarts will be just a brief defrosting period away. And I’m sure some of you are saying, “But Donna! Can’t you just buy frozen puff pastry at the store?” The answer, of course, is yes. Store-bought all-butter puff pastry is excellent. My personal favorite brand is Dufour. Easy access to pre-made puff pastry is exactly the reason why I only make insane, whole-wheat type puff pastry from scratch, because good luck finding rye puff at your local Whole Foods. It can’t be done. But once I’d made it, a whole new world opened up to me. A world that included possibilities for graham puff pastry (stay tuned). And how about buckwheat croissants with a honey glaze? Tell me that doesn’t sound incredible to you. I’ve always had a thing for weird flours, and now I can use them to make crazy baked goods that most French people would probably consider sacrilege.
This danish definitely required a little bit of time and effort, but the results were well worth it. I made a half recipe, enough for two large danish, and they were gone in literally three minutes. Beautiful, impressive, and delicious, not to mention easy to carry in one hand while holding a squirming toddler with the other. I tried to cut a normal-sized piece for a friend, and he handed it to someone else and said, “No, I want THAT much” while gesturing to literally half a danish. And there was a huge spread of bagels and lox right next to us! Sorry for stealing your thunder, bagels and lox, but you just can’t compete.
