Braided Danish

Ingredients

• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 Tablespoons butter at room temperature
• 1 Tablespoon all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons grated orange rind
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup jam
• 2 sheets (1 lb.) frozen puff pastry dough, thawed

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine ricotta cheese, sugar, egg, butter, flour, orange rind and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed, until well blended.
2. Unfold pastry into rectangle; place on baking sheet. With a sharp knife or pastry scraper, make 2-inch-deep cuts at 1-inch intervals on long sides of pastry.
3. Spread the ricotta cheese mixture down center 3 inches of pastry. Spread the jam down the center. Crisscross strips over filling, alternating sides and bringing strips all the way across filling.
4. Bake in preheated 400°F oven 25 minutes or until bottom is golden brown.
5. Cool on wire rack.