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Before seventeen-year-old Valieri Fiero must flee for her life, Marlow York's novel, Blood of Fire, opens in a peaceful farming village where Valieri and her sister are tempted by flaky, strawberry pastries. But this tranquil atmosphere won’t last.
Valieri’s village is destroyed by the City. Haunted by the deaths of her parents and her older sister’s disappearance, Valieri must learn to survive on her own when she is captured by the Grakkir, a forest-dwelling Warrior race with rumored abilities to control god-like beasts.
The more time she spends in their world, built upon a foundation of strength and honor, the more lies she discovers about her own world and the City she once revered. But a fiery secret runs through her veins. Will she be able to harness this power and find her sister, or will the City stand in her way?
Find a safe place, read this novel, and grab a dozen of these flaky, buttery pastries while you devour both this fast-paced dystopian novel and these danishes. Napkins not included.
Strawberry Cream Danishes
Serves: 12
Level of Difficulty: As easy as eating a strawberry
Ingredients
For the strawberry filling:
2 c chopped fresh strawberries
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Note: No patience for making filling? Buy high-grade strawberry preserves.
For the cheesecake filling:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 c white sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
For the danish:
2 sheet puff pastry, thawed according to directions
1 egg
1 tbsp water
How to Make
Combine strawberries, sugar, and nutmeg in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow mixture to simmer for 25–30 minutes or until strawberries soften and mixture thickens. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Beat together cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract until creamy. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
Place sheets of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface if sheets aren't already floured. (Some puff pastry brands flour the puff pastry, so don't add more if it's already floured. Too much flour will make the puff pastry dry and gummy.)
Cut 6 strips vertically per sheet. Most puff pastries are perforated into thirds. If your brand is, cut into thirds along perforation, and cut each of the three pieces in half lengthwise, leaving you with 6 long even strips.
Take each strip and gently twist, careful to not press the ends of the strip too tightly. Take each twist and coil it into a spiral. Tuck the end piece under the spiral.
Press down the center of the pastry, leaving about 1/4 inch all around on the sides. Poke a lot of holes in the center with fork or knife. This will keep the center from rising too much. If you don't poke holes, the center of the pastry (with the cream cheese and strawberry filling) will rise like a volcano. Trust me. Place spirals on prepared baking sheet.
Fill each center with 1 tablespoon of cream cheese filling. Top with one scant teaspoon of strawberry filing. You can add more strawberry filling if you want to after the pastries are cooked. Don't add too much because it will boil in the oven and spill out over the pastry.
Whisk together egg and water. Brush edges of danish with egg wash.
Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.
Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly on a wire rack. Serve warm.
Purchase your copy of Blood of Fire HERE!
Recipe adapted from A Kitchen Addiction.