4 ounces butter
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons water
4 ounces butter
1 cup water
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon almond essence
3 eggs (whisked)
walnuts or glace cherries, for decoration
Icing
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla essence (or Extract a little less)
2 tablespoons butter
1-2 tablespoon warm water, approx
Take the first 3 ingredients only: rub the butter into the flour, then add the water, you will have a soft and slightly sticky ball.
Take this mixture and spread it out onto an unbuttered baking tray (cookie sheet) to an approx 5-7 mm thickness (this recipe makes one tray size pastry that you cut into slices afterwards, rather than individual pastries that I now undrstand that Americans might be used to).
Take the second quantity of butter and water, put into a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil.
Take off the heat, mix in all the second quantity of flour at once and stir until you have a smooth ball (I use a whisk for this and the following step as it goes much faster than with wooden spoon) Add the almond essence and all the eggs at once and stir until your mixture is a smooth glossy paste.
Spread the second mixture evenly over the first mixture.
Bake at 180 C (350 F) for approx 45 minutes (until light golden brown and topping is a little bit crisp) Cool.
Glaze with icing, spread over Danish and sprinkle with nuts or other decoration etc as preferred