cream cheese danishes with tangerine curd

Mmmm.
Nothing like a good Sunday morning breakfast.

I know, it's Tuesday.
But, I am having leftovers :)
Enjoy! 

Cream Cheese Danishes with Tangerine Curd

Makes a ton!  

I only used 1/2 of the dough and got about 20 danishes.

From my friend, Courtney, and Joy the Baker.

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
8 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup good honey
3 sticks butter
7 1/2 cups flour
1 egg, beaten and combined with 1 tablespoon water
1 egg yolk
3/4 cup sugar
Splash of vanilla
2/3 bar of cream cheese, softened


Mix the yeast, salt, eggs, honey, and melted butter with the water in a 5-qt bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) container.
Mix in the flour without kneading, using a wooden spoon, a 14-C capacity food processor with dough attachment, or a heavy-duty stand mixer with dough hook. If you're not using a machine, you may need to use wet hands to incorporate the last bit of flour. The dough will be very loose, but will firm up after chilling... don't try to work it before chilling (there may be lumps in the dough but they will disappear in the finished product).
Cover (not airtight) and allow to rest at room temp until dough rises and collapses, at least 2 hours.
*Dough can be used as soon as it's chilled after the initial rise, OR it can be kept in the fridge, covered, for 5 days, then portion it in 1-pound balls and freeze for up to 4 weeks. When using frozen dough, thaw in the fridge for 24 hours, then proceed through the rest and rise times.*
When you are ready to bake, grease a 9x4x3 inch loaf pan (or baking sheet or whatever you're using). Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it in to a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides ("rounding off"). Elongate into an oval and place in the prepared pan (or shape in to danishes, kolaches, cinnamon rolls, etc. at this point), place in/on pan, and let rest for between 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours.
Twenty minutes before baking, preheat oven to 350*.
While the oven preheats, make the cream cheese filling.
Combine egg yolk, sugar and vanilla and beat.  Add cream cheese and beat until creamy.
Make a dent in the top of the danishes and fill with the cream cheese filling.
Using a pastry brush, brush the top of loaf/loaves with egg wash.
Place bread in center of oven and bake for 35-40 mins, or until a medium golden-brown. Allow to cool before slicing and eating, or crumb will be gummy.
Serve with the tangerine curd (recipe follows) on top!  Enjoy!

Tangerine Curd

Makes about 3/4 cup.

2 large egg yolks

1 large egg

5 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon tangerine zest

1/4 cup tangerine juice

2 tablespoons lemon juice

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

pinch of salt

Combine sugar and tangerine zest on a clean cutting board.  With a spoon or your fingers, rub the zest into the sugar until the sugar is very fragrant and slightly orange in color.

In a medium saucepan over medium low heat, whisk together egg yolks, egg, tangerine sugar, juices, butter and salt.  Whisk over the heat until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and pass through a fine mesh strainer into a medium bowl.  Transfer to a small jar or airtight container and refrigerate until cool and thicker in texture.  Curd will last, refrigerated, for about a week.