The Danish Games
“Throughout the meal, Effie Trinket keeps reminding us to save space because there’s more to come. But I’m stuffing myself because I’ve never had food like this, so good and so much, and because probably the best thing I can do between now and the Games is put on a few pounds.”
Why did I choose to make danishes for The Hunger Games? It seems like an odd thing to do, doesn't it? But I would think danishes would be something that would be fed to the people in the Capitol. Sticky and rich, with flaky dough, tangy cheese, and sweet fruit.
The dough, with all of its layers, takes forever to make and feels ritzy.
And danishes reminded me of the scene on page 65, where Katniss sees the complicated Capitol dish, and tries to figure out how she would manage to make the thing back home... what she would have to hunt, trade, and substitute to make the dish even a little similar.
I decided to use Pillsbury Crescents for my dough, because sometimes you can't spend hours folding and refolding dough.
(Conveniently enough, if you use two tubes of the Big and Buttery Crescents, you get twelve danishes: one for each district.)
I wanted to use a cheese filling for the danishes, especially after the book opens with Katniss and Gale sharing some bread with cheese and basil. I used the classic cream cheese to keep the filling nice and creamy, but I added some shredded Gruyère to make it a bit more sweet and a little salty.
Gruyère is a cheese that's imported from Switzerland, and is a bit more expensive than Cheddar or Parmesan, so it felt like a cheese the people in the Capitol would appreciate.
Fruit is mentioned throughout the novel, so I decided to put some on top of the cheese.
Pears look boring. They taste pretty boring, too. To me, they're a no-frills fruit, and I liked that the contrast between plain Bartlett pears and the fancy Gruyère reminded me so much of the contrast between life in District 12 and life in the Capitol.
Since Katniss' dad knew so much about plants, I wanted to add an herb while cooking the pears. I eventually decided on rosemary, which I knew would cut through the sweetness of the pears and the cheese.
Pear and Rosemary Filling
-4 pears, peeled and diced
-3 tbsp lemon juice (it's about 1 lemon)
-1 c white sugar
-1 sprig rosemary
-3 tbsp cornstarch
- In a medium bowl, toss the pears with the lemon juice and sugar.
- Pour the pears into a medium saucepan and add the whole sprig of rosemary (it'll be easier to remove later if you leave it on the stem).
- Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes.
- Carefully remove the rosemary. (Please don't burn yourself.)
- Make a cold water slurry with the cornstarch (add about 2 tbsp of cold water to the cornstarch and whisk it all together), then pour it into the saucepan.
- Continue stirring for another 2-5 minutes, letting the syrup thicken.
- Remove the pan from the heat, and let the pears cool.
Cheese Filling
-8 oz cream cheese, room-temperature
-1 1/2 c Gruyère Cheese, finely shredded
-1/2 c white sugar
- Whisk the sugar and cream cheese in a medium-sized bowl, stopping when the mixture is completely smooth.
- Fold in the Gruyère. It'll look a little gritty, but that's okay.
- Set aside.
Danishes
-2 tubes Pillsbury Big & Buttery Crescents
-4 tbsp unsalted butter, completely melted
-1/2 c brown sugar
1. Remove the crescents from their tubes and DON'T unroll them.
2. Using a serrated knife, cut each roll into six disks. I found it easiest to cut each roll in half, then cut each half into thirds.
3. Place each disk on a prepared cookie sheet (I prefer using the silicone mats), flat side down.
4.Push down the center of each disk, leaving the outer two rings of dough standing.
5. Mix together the butter and brown sugar.
6. Brush the brown sugar mixture over the unfilled danishes.
7. Fill each danish with about a tablespoon of the cheese mixture, spreading it out so the pears can fit on top.
8. Using a slotted spoon, put some pears on top of each danish. They should only just cover the cheese.
9. Bake the danishes at 350 degrees for 14-18 minutes. When they're done, they should be puffed up and golden.
10. Remove the danishes from the oven and let them cool a little.
11. Take the leftover pear and rosemary syrup, and drizzle it over the warm danishes.
Having one warm and one cold, I can tell you that these are amazing either way. They're sweet, salty, and savory, all set on the flaky and buttery crescent dough.
Best of all: they look like you either spent hours upon hours on them or bought them from a bakery.
