Aaahh strawberries. It’s difficult to resist a beautifully ripe, bright red strawberry. I love the texture, sweetness, and even a little tartness. The garden strawberry is one thing I’m looking forward to in Spring, so many desserts to make, and they’re good for you–who knew?

Loaded with antioxidants, these cute little bursts of juiciness have a ton of health benefits. Plus, they just smell so good. It takes me back to my early years of being in my parents shop. Just next door was a 7-Eleven convenience store, and they had these packaged strawberry cheese danishes. OMG. I had to have one after school very often. Well, that, and my Sunny D orange juice. 🙂

This next recipe is my own take on a strawberry cheese danish. I know that most cheese danish recipes are made with a croissant like dough, but I decided to make mine with puff pastry. A tart, with sliced strawberries, and a thick creamy filling. Which, also takes me back to living in Miami eating pastelitos. Basically puff pastries with meat, cheeses, guava, and other fruits. I’ll share Cuban pastelitos with you soon. “Like” this post if you want me to share my Cuban pastelitos recipe with you!

This is a pretty simple recipe. I infused the cream cheese filling with rosemary to bring a different note to the recipe. I also added cracked black peppercorn, which I though also paired nicely, giving it a little kick. Last but not least, a drizzle of honey. I hope you enjoy it. Feel free to leave a comment. Let’s eat.

Here is the recipe:

Prep Time: 10 minutes (plus 15 minutes refrigeration)

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 4-6

Ingredient:

• Strawberries, sliced
• Puff pastry dough
• 8 oz of cream cheese, room temperature
• ½  cup of heavy whipping cream
• 1 Tbsp of unsalted butter
• A pinch of salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• Black peppercorn, ground
• 1 large rosemary sprig
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 tsp of lemon juice
• A drizzle of honey

Directions for the danish cheese:

1. In a large bowl using a handheld mixer, mix the cream cheese, butter, heavy whipping cream, sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and lemon juice. Mix until well combined.
2. Now in a medium saucepan, add the cheese mixture and rosemary sprig. Simmer for 5 minutes on medium heat to infuse the rosemary flavor. Stir constantly to avoid burning.
3. Take the mixture off the stove, remove the rosemary sprig, and let it cool for 5 minutes before adding it to the tart.

Directions for the puff pastry:

Note: Remember to thaw out the dough no more than 40 minutes before use, or as stated on the package.

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
2. Roll out the puff pastry dough on a lightly floured surface, until the creases are smooth. Be gentle. You should have a rectangular shaped dough.
3. Using a knife, lightly score a ½ inch border around the dough.
4. Brush off the excess flour and place the dough on a parchment lined baking sheet.
5. Place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
6. After 15 minutes, brush the border of the dough with the egg.
7. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
8. After 10 minutes, take the tart out of the oven and press the center down with a spatula. The dough will tear and break in some places, this is ok.
9. Ladle a thin layer of the cheese mixture on the tart, then arrange the strawberries, and ladle the rest of the cheese over the strawberries.
10. Bake for 8 minutes.
11. Take the baking sheet out of the oven and let the tart cool for 5 minutes before cutting.
12. Add a light sprinkle of black ground peppercorn, and a drizzle of honey before serving.