Puff Pastry Braid with Cream Cheese and Cherry Compote

In a previous post I shared with you a recipe of cherry compote and I promised to share another one featuring this delicious treat. It took me a while to share, but you know how summer is! So after a long break, it´s time to start baking and sharing again.

This recipe is really easy to make; with just a few ingredients and a little time you can have a wonderful dessert or a warm breakfast!

To make the braid you need:

• 1 sheet of puff pastry (mine was about 230 g)
• 75 g cream cheese
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp of vanilla and 1/2 tsp of kirsh
• cherry compote (I used from 2 to 3 tbsp)
• 1 tbsp of milk with a tsp of sugar for the coating
• powdered sugar for dusting

First mix the cheese with the sugar, kirsh and vanilla and set aside.

On your baking sheet covered with parchment paper, line your puff pastry and visually divide it in 3 equal parts, the middle one part will form the base on top of which you will layer the cheese and cherry compote and the the sides so with a sharp knofe you need to cut equal strips (if possible) about  1,5 cm.
Put the cheese mixture in the middle add the compote and swirl a bit to slightly mix the 2 ingredients and start bringing the strips to the middle part overlapping between each one! Eventually, you will end up with a nice braided shape.

Once your braid is ready brush it with the milk and sugar mixture and bake in a preheated oven (200 C) for about 15 minutes or until the braid is golden brown.

Dust with some powdered sugar and enjoy for breakfast, for a coffee break or on your next picnic!