My Auntie Barbara made this all through my childhood and it's a sure family favourite. Finally I got the recipe from her and now hubby and family and our friends ask for it all the time. :) Looks impressive, easy to make, and yummy, what more needs saying? Enjoy! P.S. I have added step-by-step photos for this recipe to help people know how the Danish should look at each stage of making, I hope that it helps and inspires.
NOTE: Almond extract is stronger than almond essence, so be careful as to which you have and adjust any extract quantity according to your preference for almond.
This recipe makes one tray size pastry that you cut into slices afterwards, rather than individual pastries that I now understand Americans might be used to.
04Take the second quantity of butter and water: 4 ounces butter, 1 cup water; put into a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil.
05Take off the heat, mix in all the second quantity of flour (1 cup) all at once.
06Stir until you have a smooth ball. I use a whisk for this and the following step as it goes much faster than with a wooden spoon.
07Add the almond essence and all the eggs at once and stir until your mixture is a smooth glossy paste.
08Spread the second mixture evenly over the first mixture.
09Bake at 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) for approximately 45 minutes or until light golden brown and topping is a little bit crisp.
10Cool.
11Glaze with icing. Spread icing over Danish and sprinkle with nuts or other decoration etc. as preferred.