Go ahead. Try baking this pistachio cherry Danish in a cast-iron skillet.

PISTACHIO-CHERRY DANISH

Yield: Makes a single 10½-inch-wide Danish

Dough Ingredients
¾ cup whole milk
1 vanilla bean
¼ cup warm water (110° to 115°F)
2¼ tsps active dry yeast (or one ¼-ounce packet)
½ cup granuated sugar
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs
5 to 5½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted
¼ tsp ground cardamom
8 tbsps (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

Filling Ingredients
⅔ cup dried cherries
¼ cup dark rum or other dark liquor
2 egg whites
¾ cup pistachio paste, packed
2 tbsps granulated sugar
4 tbsps (½ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp unsalted butter
1 egg yolk, for the egg wash
¼ cup pistachios, coarsely chopped for sprinkling
1 tsp sugar, for sprinkling
⅛ teaspoon salt, for sprinkling

Instructions

Prepare the dough: Pour the milk into a small saucepan. Split the vanilla bean in half and scrape the seeds out into the saucepan. Add both halves of the scraped pod to the pan as well. Now warm the milk over medium heat, bringing it just under a boil. Remove from heat once the milk is steaming, and little bubbles begin to form around the rim of the saucepan. Set the milk aside until it cools to lukewarm.

Pour a ¼-cup of warm water (110° to 115°F) in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. (You can also use a large bowl.) Sprinkle the yeast and stir to dissolve.

Now add the lukewarm milk, sugar, salt, eggs, cardamom and 1 cup of flour to the bowl; mix together on low speed. Next, add the butter and mix to combine. Beat in 2 cups of flour until the mixture is smooth. Add enough of the remaining flour and beat to form a super-soft dough. Knead the mixture using the dough hook. (You can also turn the dough out onto a flat work surface dusted with flour and knead it by hand for 3 to 4 minutes.) The dough should become supple and silky smooth, developing small blisters just below the surface. Then transfer the dough to a large, well-greased bowl, and turn the dough over so that it is greased side-up. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Day Two

Proof the dough: Without removing the dough from the bowl, use your fingertips to gently press down the center of the dough to stretch and deflate it. (This is called “proofing” your dough.) Then transfer your dough from the bowl to a lightly floured work surface, covering it with a kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise a second time at room temperature for up to 90 minutes, or until it has nearly doubled in size.

Prepare the cherry filling: Meanwhile, combine the cherries, rum and ¼-cup of water in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes, then remove from heat and allow to cool. Strain the liquid from the mixture and set the cooked cherries aside in a small bowl.

Prepare the pistachio paste: In a food processor, pulse the egg whites until the turn foamy. Next, crumble the pistachio paste into the mixer and continue pulsing the mixture until everything is thoroughly combined and smooth. Add the sugar and butter and pulse again to fully incorporate. Then scoop the pistachio mixture into a medium bowl, using a rubber spatula. Add the lemon zest and gently stir to combine.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Season the skillet: In a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, melt 1 teaspoon of butter over low heat. Brush the melted butter along the bottom and sides of the skillet to coat it.

Assemble the dough: On a lightly floured work surface, cut the dough into 4 equal portions. Roll each portion out to a 5-inch by 12-inch rectangle. Using a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon, spread a quarter of the pistachio paste mixture over each rectangle. Dot each portion with one-quarter of the drained cherries. Then roll each piece of dough up, length-wise, like a jelly roll. Pinch the ends together to seal the seams. This will keep the filling inside of the dough.

Line up two of the filled rolls next to one another, seam-side down. Twist one roll over the other, as tautly as possible, to form a thick twisted rope. Pinch the ends of the twist to fuse the rolls together. (Hint: You can tuck or twist any less-than-perfect spots you’d like to hide from view.) Repeat this process with the two remaining rolls. Next, coil one of the twisted ropes into a small, tight, snake-like spiral and place it in the center of the skillet. Then coil the second twisted rope around the first one, tucking the edges beneath to connect the two, creating one continuous spiral.

In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk with 2 tablespoons of water. Brush the surface of the dough with the egg wash. Sprinkle the pistachios, sugar and salt over the top. Cover the pan and let the dough rise once more until doubled in size, about 40 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Bake the Danish: Transfer the skillet to the 350ºF oven and bake the Danish for about 15 minutes. Then rotate the skillet 180º and return the Danish to the oven to cook for about 15 to 20 minutes longer, or until browned and cooked all the way through. Once done, remove the Danish from the oven, leaving it in the skillet for a couple of minutes to set. Then transfer the Danish to a wire rack to cool for about 30 minutes. You should be able to lift the Danish out of the pan quite easily with a spatula.