Pastry Shop Cheese Slices

It’s time to get your Peeps in a row, start hiding eggs, and eat those jelly beans – Easter’s on its way. You’ve got a sweetly glazed ham, some dreamy scalloped potatoes, and a golden loaf of that lovely braided Easter bread. Here’s a little something different that you can add to your table.

Pastry Shop Cheese Slices are a classic recipe from the Pillsbury Bake-Off competition that some of you may remember. Google states that this recipe was part of the 1967 Bake-Off and was one of the 100 finalists that year, but I remember it best is as the oh-so delicious dessert that my mom served for my bridal shower.

For years we couldn’t find the recipe, and we couldn’t do an internet search because we couldn’t remember the name. Then, about 10 years ago, my mom showed up with an old xeroxed page, and I’ve been wanting to make it again ever since. Somewhat like a cheese danish, a little bit like cheese cake, it has that winning combination of pineapple and cottage cheese and it’s simply divine. This is definitely a make-ahead dessert because it does take a bit of effort, but it’s so worth it.

I found a video on YouTube and watched it to refresh my memory. I decided to try making the pineapple filling in the microwave like they did in the video, rather than on the stove, like I remember doing with my mom. The video also showed using a food processor for the cheese filling, which I thought would be good because it looked so easy and came out so smooth. It wasn’t until I tried a bite that I realized this was a mistake.

One of the things I liked so much about my mom’s dessert was the consistency. She used a hand mixer, and doing so keeps the small curds of cottage cheese intact, giving the cheese layer an unusually good texture. The recipe also calls for coconut, but my mom never used it in hers. Her xerox copy has a sharp line drawn through that ingredient to drive that point home.

The crust is very soft. It’s not like a pie crust, and not like a cookie crust – it’s almost like a sweet bread. I wanted to try making it gluten-free, so I used Bob’s Red Mill One to One Gluten-Free Baking Flour. It worked well, but was a little difficult to roll out and work with, lacking the elasticity that regular dough would have. I did get to try a piece (or two) and it was every bit as good as I remembered.

I pressed the edges of the top and bottom crust together and fluted the edges before reading that you were supposed to do this after you let everything rest for an hour. My cheese squares did not seem to mind, in fact they baked up beautifully in spite of what I did. I did have a spot in the top crust that tore, so I patched it with some of the dough that I trimmed from the edges. If you have a similar mishap, worry not. After baking it was barely noticeable and when the glaze went on top it covered everything.

Make this ahead, keep it in the refrigerator, and it will be ready for your table. Have a happy gathering with your family and have a very happy Easter.

Pastry Shop Cheese Slices

for pineapple filling:

3 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 13 1/2-ounce can crushed pineapple, undrained

for cheese filling:

2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups creamed small curd cottage cheese
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 Tablespoons flour
1/2 cup flaked coconut (can be omitted)

for dough:

1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (100º F)
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 cups Pillsbury’s Best Flour (all-purpose, instant blending, or self-rising)
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

for glaze:

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 Tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For pineapple filling: combine sugar, flour, salt and pineapple in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat and let cool. (Or, combine all ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened; let cool.)

For cheese filling: in a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, vanilla extract, and sugar and use a hand mixer to beat together until thick. Add cottage cheese, cream cheese, flour and coconut (if using); beat at medium speed until well blended.

For dough: combine yeast, water and sugar; let stand until bubbly, about 3 to 5 minutes. Cut butter into flour in a large bowl until mixture is the size of small peas. Add yeast, egg and vanilla. Mix until a dough forms. Knead lightly on a floured surface until smooth.

Roll out two-thirds of dough into a 14×10-inch rectangle; roll remaining dough into a 12×8-inch rectangle. Place large rectangle in bottom of a greased 12×8-inch pan, pulling dough up the sides.

Spread dough with pineapple mixture. Top with cheese mixture, spreading carefully to cover. Place small rectangle over filling, then fold bottom crust over top to seal edges. Cover; let rise in warm place until light, about 1 hour. Flute edges.

Bake at 375º F for 30 to 35 minutes. While baking, prepare glaze: combine confectioners’ sugar, milk, and vanilla. Blend until smooth. Remove from oven and spread with glaze while warm.