Posts tagged puff pastry

Sharing Pastry Wheel

December 7, 2020 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

his puff pastry sharing wheel has become one of my Christmas signatures! Made only in December for a festive drinks gathering with friends. Its such a perfect sharing canape as you can tailor it to your favourite flavours, those flavours of your guests or to suit any dietary requirement. I like to make this vegetarian as the rest of Christmas tends to be meat themed . Its such a pretty centre piece to the table – eye catching and head turning! The best part is that its barely cooking – I’d call it an assembly job!

Glass of cold Champagne in hand, buttery puff pastry really is the most ideal pairing and always will be in my eyes!

Ingredients

1 block puff pastry (I always end up with leftover pastry when I make this so I make a set of Palmiers here to match. Same process really just a different shape)
1 egg, beaten
Fillings of choice, some combination suggestions below: Be careful here with your choices, you’re not making a pizza. It can’t be too ‘full’ or bulky. Chop finely and scatter scarcely, hence why punchy flavours work better!

Green pesto, feta, sun dried tomatoes, cumin seeds

Red pesto, sun dried tomatoes, goats cheese, chopped dill

Olive tapenade, feta, sun dried tomatoes, fresh basil, fennel seeds

Pesto, anchovies, capers, crumbled mozzarella, basil

Half the pastry block and roll out each on a floured surface into circles around 30cm diameter. Use a plate as a cutter to cut around to form a nice neat circle.
Place one circle on a baking sheet on a baking tray. Onto this circle add your toppings! Start with your pesto base and then scatter over the toppings and herbs making finely chopped/small pieces and scattering evenly. You can work up to the edges, but leave a 1cm border or so.
Brush the 1cm border with a little egg wash.
Take your second circle of pastry and place on top, and then gently press down so that it snugly hugs the fillings underneath and is sealed at the edges where you’ve egg washed.
Next take a small upturned egg cup and place it in the middle gently, not enough to cut through. Working outwards, cut thin strips so that they are still attached at the centre.
Take each strip and gently twist like a cheese straw and press down onto the tray at the end to keep it unfolding again. You’ll know here if you’ve packed it too full or cut your pieces too big as they will pop out everywhere!
Continue all the way round and once done, remove the egg cup.
Place in the fridge to chill for 20 minutes, preheat the oven to 200°C.
When ready to cook, remove from the fridge, egg wash over generously so its gets a wonderful golden shine and then scatter over sesame, nigella or any seed of choice that suits your filling if desired.
Bake for about 20 minutes, checking regularly until golden and puffed!
Remove from the oven and leave to cool a little before serving but nicest served warm (avoid burning anyones mouths with molten cheese!)

You can remove the centre circle puff where the egg cup marked (eat it..) and then pop a nice dipping sauce in the middle in a dish. The idea is the guests ‘tear and share’…and dip if desired!

Galette des rois and Cinnamon Ice Cream

December 27, 2015 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

alette de rois probably combines some of my most favourite ingredients yet criminally I’ve never made it!? Puff pastry, almonds, frangipane, a cheeky splash of booze, not much else says Christmas like that for me. And not only is it a sweet comforting crowd pleaser its a festively appropriate one too….in France anyway. Traditionally eaten on Twelfth night to welcome those famous Kings around the festive season it is normally the hiding place for two figurines that when found by the lucky eaters crown them Kind and Queen for the day and the chance to make a wish. I had many wishes this year that I can’t confess its just a shame I forgot the figurines!

Eaten a little early I’ll agree but neither are we in France! Accompanied by homemade cinnamon ice cream and a warm spoonful of spiced apple compote this went down a treat. And you can barely call this cooking as it simply involves a round of shop bought pastry and a quick frangipane.

NOTE: You can spoon some of the apple jam onto the base of this pastry as an alternative to apricot jam or serve alongside as I did.

Serves 10

Galette

1 x block 500g puff pastry (I recommend you don’t use the ready rolled version – it doesn’t ‘puff’ and rise as much in my experience)
100g caster sugar
100g ground almonds
100g softened unsalted butter
50 g flaked almonds
2 eggs, beaten and 1 extra for glazing
1 tbsp/large splash cognac or dark rum
1-2 tbsp apricot jam

Cinnamon Ice Cream

1 can condensed milk
300ml single cream
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped (reserve the pods for using to infuse a jar of caster sugar)

Spiced Apple Compote/Jam – recipe here

Start with the ice cream. Heat the single cream until just about to simmer then remove from the heat. Add the scraped seeds from the vanilla pod and whisk the cinnamon in thoroughly.
Whisk in the condensed milk and leave to the mixture to cool completely.
Freeze the ice cream in a tupperware container or dish. This is a non-churn ice cream but you may need to whisk after 3-4 hours when the ice cream should be nearly set but still loose to distribute any ground cinnamon that has risen to the surface. Freeze until set
For the galette, cut the pastry block in half and roll out each into a square about 25cm x 25cm. Use a plate or dish around 23cm in size (approx.) and cut out two discs. Place them on a parchment lined baking tray and chill in the fridge.
Meanwhile make the filling. Whisk the butter and sugar until combined, soft and fluffy in a food processor or using a hand blender.
Slowly add in the beaten egg and mix until combined followed by the cognac/rum.
Fold in the ground and flaked almonds until combined. Chill in the fridge for about 15 minutes.
When ready to cook remove all elements from the fridge. Spoon the apricot jam (or apple compote) onto the bottom of one of the pastry rounds leaving a 2cm border. Spoon on the frangipane, again leaving a 2cm border, slightly heaping the mixture in the centre.
Brush the 2cm border with beaten egg and place the second pastry round on top.
Press the edges together well to seal.
Using a knife, nick little slices into the edges to seal the pastry together and create a rough pattern. Finally score the top as seen in the pictures in a wheel affect.
Brush the galette with beaten egg and chill for 20 minutes in the fridge.
Meanwhile preheat the oven to 200°C. After 20 minutes, brush again with beaten egg for a golden coating and then cook in the oven for about 30-35 minutes until golden and cooked through.
Leave to cool slightly before dusting with icing sugar and serving alongside some creamy and festive cinnamon ice cream.

Lime Meringue Pie

January 30, 2014 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

This was a last minute creation with the leftover lime curd and egg whites from my Mojito Cake. The lime curd was criminally moreish to waste and after smothering it liberally on warm toasted sourdough for breakfast I still had a healthy jar of this nectar to use up. With the leftover egg whites from the recipe and an orphaned sheet of buttery puff pastry mingling in the fridge, I thought I’d put a tweak on this usual culprit recipe that always seems to remind me of Nigel Slater’s ‘Toast’. Pre-bake your puff pastry case, fill it with lime curd, whisk you egg whites and smother on top and….(naturally…in the voice of Sue Perkins) BAKE!

Makes 1 pie

½ quantity of lime curd (see here)
3 egg whites
170g caster sugar
1 sheet puff pastry

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a greased tart tin with the sheet of puff pastry and press the pastry into the mould. Prick all over with a fork and line with greaseproof paper. Now fill with baking beans.
Bake blind for 20 minutes then remove the beans and cook for a further 5 until lightly golden and the base is cooked.
Whisk the egg whites in a large, very clean bowl until soft peaks form. Add the caster sugar, spoon by spoon, whisking in between until stiff, glossy and velvety peaks form.
Fill the tart shell with the lime curd and spoon over the meringue. Spread out evening and then use a fork to create some height and textured peaks to the meringue which will crisp up on cooking.
Bake at 180°C for about 15-20 minutes until set and browned.

Caramelised Garlic Tart

September 17, 2013 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

I’d seen this recipe in my thumbed copy of Ottolenghi’s ‘Plenty’ too many times to flick past it again. I’d heard good things about it…they’re true by the way. The original recipe calls for puff pastry which I think would have tipped me over the edge into food heaven but I used a lighter flaky shortcrust infused with thyme after an indulgent week that just couldn’t handle the butter content of puff. Either pastry is fine but I suggest puff just to do it justice. Agreed, when you read the recipe and see 3 heads of garlic, separated and peeled you may find yourself navigating away to another site. However, there is no need to contemplate taking a half day off work as it really won’t take long and you’ll be rewarded with the benefits on eating. The garlic is sweet and glazed when cooked and teasingly moreish.

Serves 6-8

375g puff pastry, rolled/ 1 quantity of shortcrust pastry flavoured with thyme (optional)
3 heads garlic, cloves separated and peeled
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
220ml water
Pinch sugar
1 tsp each chopped rosemary and thyme
240g goats cheese- a mix of soft and hard or a mix of cheeses if you’re not a goat cheese lover
2 medium eggs, beaten
100ml double cream
100ml creme fraiche

Preheat the oven to 180°C . Grease and line a tart tin (about 28cm) and line with the rolled puff pastry. (You can also use a shortcrust pastry which is what I actually did when I made it). Prick all over with a fork and line with a sheet of parchment and some baking beans. Bake blind for about 15-20 minutes until mostly cooked and then remove the beans and parchment and return the case to the oven for 5-10 minutes to allow the base to brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Meanwhile, cook the cloves of garlic in boiling water for 3 minutes and drain.
Return the garlic to a clean pan with the a splash of oil and fry for a few minutes on a high heat. Add the balsamic vinegar and the water, boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the sugar and the herbs and a pinch of salt. Simmer for another 10 minutes until the liquid begins to reduce and turn syrupy. Set aside.
In a jug, whisk the eggs, creams and plenty of seasoning.
In the pre-baked tart case, crumble or grate over your choice of cheese and then top with the garlic cloves and syrup. Add some more thyme leaves also if you like.
Fill the gap of the tart with the cream mixture and bake at 160°C for 35-40 minutes until set and golden brown.

I served mine with a fresh rocket and baby cos salad with some griddled courgette slices, toasted pine nuts, wafers of parmesan cheese all dressed lightly with lemon juice and olive oil. Devine!

Cheese Straws

May 30, 2013 Comments Off read Extras

I made cheese straws for a Christmas party at uni one year and they became an infamous crowd pleaser specifically with my favourite girlies on Tyndell’s Park Road! So exam time called for supplies to fuel everyone on!

This batch included simple mature cheddar with a kick of cayenne but I also made a sage, cheddar and cumin seed variety so feel free to add whatever you like. Thyme, rosemary, Dijon mustard or marmite. I’ve left quantities out as they can literally be made with any leftover puff pastry scraps and any lonely cuts of cheese!

A block/leftover puff pastry (see here if you want to make your own)
Mature cheddar cheese (or any other strong hard cheese)
Parmesan cheese (optional)
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 egg, beaten

Preheat the oven to 220°C and line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper.
Simply roll out your puff pastry into a rectangle to a few millimetres thick. (If using marmite, mustard, pesto or any type of spread, brush the sheet with a very thin layer at this point). Brush the sheet with beaten egg.
Grate over a thin layer of cheese making sure you don’t leave the edges bare. Season with a little salt and black pepper and sprinkle with cayenne if you like (At this point add any other herbs, seasonings, spices etc)
Use your rolling pin to gently press the cheese onto the pastry to keep it stuck down and cut the pastry into strips about 1.5cm wide.
Take the strips at both ends and twist into a spiral and place on the tray, squashing the ends onto the tray to help them stick and hold their shape. Brush any exposed pastry with beaten egg and bake for about 15minutes checking now and again until golden.

Avoid the urge to devour the lot alone. Best eaten warm but also amazing dipped into any spicy dips or spreads or served as a canape in mini form. Their greasy buttery taste goes particularly well with a glass of Champagne and Prosecco so any excuse for a glass of fizz naturally calls for these. Try this Biancavigna, Prosecco Spumante Brut NV available at Armit Wines

Portuguese Cinnamon Tarts with Lavender Caramel

May 10, 2013 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

These have been adapted from Jamie Oliver’s interpretation of the Portuguese custard tart or- ‘Pastel de nata’. It seemed like a good way of using up a slab of puff pastry and an egg whilst keeping my mind sane and grounded during all this revision…

½ block puff pastry (about 250g ish)
Pinch cinnamon
1 egg
120g creme fraiche
Zest of 1/2 lemon
5 tbsp caster sugar
Seeds from ½ vanilla pod/ a splash of vanilla extract
Small pinch of lavender flowers

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Roll out the pastry into a rectangle, about 1 pound coin thickness and about 25cm long. Scatter with the cinnamon and roll into a swiss roll shape down the long side.
Cut into 6 rounds (they should look like uncooked danish pastries) and then liberally press each into a a non-stick or greased muffin tin pushing the pastry down in the middle and up the sides, squashing it to mould it into the tin. Bake for about 10 minutes until just going golden. You may need to use the end of a rolling pin or something round to press the middle down if it puffs up while cooking.
Make the filling by mixing the beaten egg, creme fraiche, 1tbsp of the caster sugar, lemon zest and vanilla in a bowl.
When the pastry seems to have cooked enough pour in the filling and cook for another 10 minutes or so until set with a slight wobble. Remove from the oven and quickly make the caramel.
Melt the meaning sugar in a dry frying pan until beginning to melt. As soon as it begins to turn golden and liquidy, remove from the heat, add a scatter of lavender flowers and then quickly pour or spoon generously over the top of the tarts before the caramel becomes to hard. Allow to cool and harden.

Homemade Puff Pastry

September 15, 2012 Comments Off read Extras, Uncategorized

Today I attempted my first ever homemade puff pastry. It was totally unnecessary and received eye rolling, sighing and characteristic head shaking from my ‘non-foodie’ father who, ironically, would be reaping the benefits later that evening, in the form of Salmon en croute. I’ve always looked upon puff pastry as a superfluous endeavour when the supermarkets provide such satisfactory pre-made effort, however, I had some time today, I love cooking and, hey, I thought I’d add it to my repertoire.

Findings. So either I had put the tricky task of making this on a golden plated throne of difficulty or it is actually much easier than people make out, but I must admit, it took much less time than I’d thought, it was simple to create and produced puffed, laminated layers of buttery pastry! So for anyone who has never made it and wants to sample the proper stuff, then give this one a go……it was the first recipe I used, and appeared to work well! Hopefully it wasn’t beginners luck…..(Makes about 600g block)

245g plain flour
40g chilled cubed butter
Pinch salt
215g unsalted butter block
1 tsp lemon juice
130ml cold water

Begin by mixing the flour, salt and 40g of cubed butter in a large bowl. Using your fingers, rub the butter into the flour until you form a breadcrumb-like mixture.
Make a well in the centre and add the water and lemon juice and mix with a fork until you have a ball of dough. Using your hands, knead lightly until you form a smooth dough. For into a ball and then using a knife, score a deep cross in the top to allow the dough to stretch and relax as it rests. Place in a bowl, cover with cling film and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, place you 215g block of butter between a folded sheet of parchment. Using a rolling pin, bash heavily to flatten the block and soften it, whilst maintaining it in a cold state, to about 1 cm thick, in a square. Return to the fridge.
After 30 minutes, remove the dough from the fridge. Take the corner of each of the crosses you scored and pull them out and roll them using a rolling pin, outwards so they flatten leaving a thicker mound of dough in the middle to accommodate the bulk of the butter that will be added.
Making sure it is slightly smaller than your flat dough, place the chilled sheet of butter in the centre and fold in the corners of the dough to cover it completely.
Flour the work surface well to prevent it sticking and roll the dough, totally encased in butter, into a long rectangle, about 40cm long and 18cm wide. You are now ready for your first folding.
With the short side facing you, bring the top 3rd of pastry down about 2/3rds of the way and the bottom 3rd up to cover it like a book [as seen above]. Then rotate clockwise 90°.
Repeat this rolling to 40cm and folding again. Then wrap in cling film and quickly chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Bring the dough out and place it in front of you as if it has just been folded. Rotate 90 and repeat steps 7 and 8 so that it has been rolled and folded twice more. Wrap and chill again for 30 minutes.
Finally, repeat this process once more, so that in total it is rolled and folded 6 times. At this stage the dough can be shaped as desired and chilled again for 30 minutes before baking. Or it can be left until needed/frozen.
It is usually baked, brush with beaten egg, (direct from its chilled state to prevent the butter melting) at about 200-220°C for 20 minutes as a rough approximation depending what you are doing with it!

Sweet Potato and Goats Cheese Tartlet

August 9, 2012 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

I’m not turning vegetarian- honest! Not that there’s anything wrong with being vegetarian…..I even know a few (wink wink) and meat does not rule my dinner table. However, life without meat is a little…..well….inconvenient as many of my staple bible recipes contain meat which provides that much needed flavour and protein. I know however, that many vegetarian dishes can be just as punchy, satisfying and tasty especially if you have ever read the Ottolenghi cookbook which is a must have for any passionate herbivore. This little tartlet is a tasty example of a vegetarian alternative for those days when you just fancy something simple. Its also great for those cheeky veges at your dinner parties……they’re probably fed up of quiche by now….

(Serves 4)

250g puff pastry
1 egg
4tbsp cream cheese
2 small sweet potatoes
1 tbsp cumin seeds
100g soft goats cheese
Caramelized balsamic red onions (see red onion recipe)
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
Flat leaf parsley, chopped
Extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 200°C . Peeled and chop the sweet potatoes into cubes about 2cm. Place in a roasting tin and season with salt and pepper and scatter with the cumin seeds. Drizzle generously with olive oil and roast for 30 minutes until soft.
Roll the pastry out to about 3 mm thick and cut into 4 rectangles about 15cmx7cm and place on a lined baking tray. Using a sharp knife, score a border about 1cm in from the edge, making sure you don’t cut all the way through. Brush with beaten egg.
Spread the base of each pastry rectangle with the cream cheese. Top with the sweet potato cubes, crumbled goats cheese and pumpkin seeds.
Place in the oven for 15-18 minutes until golden.
After this time, top with the red onions and return to the oven for a further 2 minutes until the pastry is golden and puffed.
Remove from the oven and scatter with the chopped parsley and drizzle with olive oil.
I served mine with a watercress, chive and sugar snap salad. Enjoy and think of the poor pig or cow you spared!

Indian Fish Pie

August 6, 2012 Comments Off read Seafood

This should really be called ‘Indian inspired fish pie’ as I highly doubt you’d find it on the streets of Delhi……however, it has a nice spicy touch! This recipe can be left completely untouched and authentically English without the Indian influence but if you fancy a twist on your usual fish pie then it adds a really interesting and tasty alternative. It reminds me of a ‘kedgeree pie’…….

500g mixed fish fillets (salmon, smoked haddock and cod) chopped in large chunks
1 large handful prawns
1 handful peas
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp curry paste (optional) mild or hot- I used Patak’s Curry Paste
1 egg (hard boiled, peeled and chopped)
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
250g puff pastry
1 egg, beaten
35g unsalted butter
35g flour
500ml milk
1 bay leaf

Heat some olive oil in a pan and soften the chopped onion for about 5 minutes. Add the curry paste and cook for a further 2 minutes, then set aside.
Next, make the white sauce. Warm the milk in a pan with a bay leaf before melting the butter in another pan over a medium heat until it starts to bubble. Then remove from the heat and stir in the flour, mixing with a wooden spoon to form a paste. Return to the heat and cook the paste, mixing all the time, for 1 minute.
Add a ladle of milk to the paste, whisking hard to prevent it going lumpy, until thickened and continue adding the milk until the sauce is thick and smooth (remove the bay leaf). Bubble briskly for about 5 minutes until thick enough. Season with salt and lots of black pepper.
Add the curried onion mix to the sauce, along with the peas, prawns, chopped egg, parsley and fish and stir to combine. Transfer to a suitable serving dish and using the beaten egg, coat the edges of the dish so the pastry lid will stick better.
Roll the puff pastry on a floured surface, to the correct size to fit as a lid and cover the fish filling. With the overhanging pastry, scrunch up the excess and stick it to the edges of the dish to get a big pastry crust around the edge (the best bit)
Brush the whole pie with beaten egg and transfer to a preheat oven at 180°C for about 35-40 minutes, until the pastry is golden and puffed and the filling is hot!