Easy Cream Cheese Apricot Danish

Normally I would just refer you to my other blog for the recipe, however, this one is a lot different.  You don't need to put an egg wash on it, you don't put the turbinado sugar on it or it will melt away in the steam phase.  You bake it a lot longer than you do in the regular oven because you steam it first - you also don't have to wait for the oven to preheat.  And just so you know, it turns out much better in the steam oven then it does the regular oven.  Don't believe me?  Try one of the puffed pastry sheets in the steam oven and the other in the regular oven.  No comparison.  The one in the steam oven is shinier and not in an egg washy kind of way.  It is flaker, moister...it is just better.  I use this as a demo at the store all the time simply because it comes out so great.

Cream Cheese Apricot Danish

1 puffed pastry sheet, thawed  (½ package)
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
¼ cup sugar
3 TBS apricot jam

In a small bowl, mix the cream cheese and the sugar together until smooth.  On a lightly floured surface unfold the puffed pastry sheet.  Using a sharp knife, cut the sides of the puffed pastry (first and third sections) on a 45 degree angle towards the middle of the pastry (the cuts should start at the top in the middle and point down toward the edge).  Spread the cream cheese mixture in the middle section of the pastry almost to the ends.  Spread a thin layer of the apricot jam over the cream cheese.  Braid the cuts starting at the top, across the middle section pinching at the ends to seal.  Line the solid baking pan with parchment paper.

 Place the danish on the parchment and bake in the steam oven using the Auto Steam Bake Mode set at 400° for about 30-35 minutes until golden brown.

Coconut Lime Shortbread Cookies

You can get the recipe for these cookies on my other blog cookingwithrachel101.com  but I just thought I would point out to you the reason why the steam oven is so great for these cookies.  The preheat time on this oven to 400° is only 6 minutes.  So toasting the coconut for these cookies is a breeze that won't slow you down at all.  I set the oven to convection 400°.

 I just spread them on the solid pan and put them in the oven.

I only cooked them for 5 minutes, stirring one time.

Then I washed off the solid pan and baked the cookies in the steam oven as well on convection mode at 325°.

You can easily convert any of your recipes to the steam oven.

Cinnamon Rolls

The recipe for the cinnamon rolls is on my other blog cookingwithrachel101.com and once you have the cinnamon rolls rolled and cut, you can proof them and cook them in the steam oven.  It usually takes only about 30 minutes to proof them and 15 to cook so in 45 minutes you are good to go.

 To proof, use the steam mode at 95°.  No need to cover them since they will stay moist because of the steam.

Once they are doubled in size, you can just switch the mode to Convection Steam at 350 °.  Bake the cinnamon rolls until they are golden brown 12-15 minutes.  They will be soft, fluffy and moist.  Frost them and eat them up!

Short Ribs

The recipe for this little beauty is on my other blog: cookingwithrachel101.com.  But the cooking instructions for the steam oven are right here.  After you have seared the short ribs, and I do that in the same enamel coated cast iron dutch oven that I am going to cook them in, I will make the sauce.

  When the sauce is finished, nest the short ribs into the sauce, then place them WITH OUT the lid into the steam oven.

 Using the convection humid mode at 250 degrees, cook the short ribs until they are fork tender - only about 3 hours. I use the convection humid mode because of the braising liquid that is with the ribs.  They don't need any more added steam, they just need to keep the liquid they have.  Convection humid seals the cavity so no steam escapes.  You don't need a lid because the cavity of the steam oven is small enough that they don't dry out.  Follow the rest of the directions to finish the ribs after they have cooked, and enjoy.  Having a steam oven is so nice!