On a different topic, does anyone here make their own puff pastry? I tried my hand at it two nights ago, and it failed pretty hard. I'm pretty sure I know exactly what went wrong - I let the butter get too warm in between chilling, so it started to squirt out of the detrempe - but I'd like some advice from anyone who might have more experience with it. I'm going to be working at it till I get it down.
-Cool your hands often -Work with your fingertips -Chop the butter in thin squares and keep then in the fridge -Store the dough on a slightly moist towel for a few minutes inside the fridge if its getting too hot -Patience
On a different topic, does anyone here make their own puff pastry? I tried my hand at it two nights ago, and it failed pretty hard. I'm pretty sure I know exactly what went wrong - I let the butter get too warm in between chilling, so it started to squirt out of the detrempe - but I'd like some advice from anyone who might have more experience with it. I'm going to be working at it till I get it down.
-Cool your hands often -Work with your fingertips -Chop the butter in thin squares and keep then in the fridge -Store the dough on a slightly moist towel for a few minutes inside the fridge if its getting too hot -Patience
I think the "patience" thing is the route I need to take. :P I definitely got too ambitious.
You chop the butter into thin squares? Every recipe and technique I saw involved mashing all the butter into a single square patty and incorporating that into the base dough.
You chop the butter into thin squares? Every recipe and technique I saw involved mashing all the butter into a single square patty and incorporating that into the base dough.
Well if you are a cheater like me, you coat with butter with every fold, either use beurre sec if you are lucky enough to find some, or use the butter with the highest fat content you can find, if you think your skills are up to par and confident that your dough can take it, then make the giant butter pocket.
You chop the butter into thin squares? Every recipe and technique I saw involved mashing all the butter into a single square patty and incorporating that into the base dough.
Well if you are a cheater like me, you coat with butter with every fold, either use beurre sec if you are lucky enough to find some, or use the butter with the highest fat content you can find, if you think your skills are up to par and confident that your dough can take it, then make the giant butter pocket.
Hm, so how do you do that? Roll out the dough, coat it with a thin layer of softened butter, fold it up, and roll it out again?
I've been looking for dry butter, but it's impossible to find in most supermarkets. I might try the co-op nearby, and I'm also having our dairy chemist check the moisture content on every butter he's ever tested. Working in a food lab has its perks.
You chop the butter into thin squares? Every recipe and technique I saw involved mashing all the butter into a single square patty and incorporating that into the base dough.
Well if you are a cheater like me, you coat with butter with every fold, either use beurre sec if you are lucky enough to find some, or use the butter with the highest fat content you can find, if you think your skills are up to par and confident that your dough can take it, then make the giant butter pocket.
Hm, so how do you do that? Roll out the dough, coat it with a thin layer of softened butter, fold it up, and roll it out again?
I've been looking for dry butter, but it's impossible to find in most supermarkets. I might try the co-op nearby, and I'm also having our dairy chemist check the moisture content on every butter he's ever tested. Working in a food lab has its perks.
You roll out into a long rectangle, layer half with cold (hard but malleable) butter squares, fold, roll, fold, roll, layer with more squares, fold, roll, keep at it until you are all out of butter then you should have nice thin butter/no butter/butter/no butter layers. Just remember to let it cool every two or three folds so the butter stays solid.
You chop the butter into thin squares? Every recipe and technique I saw involved mashing all the butter into a single square patty and incorporating that into the base dough.
Well if you are a cheater like me, you coat with butter with every fold, either use beurre sec if you are lucky enough to find some, or use the butter with the highest fat content you can find, if you think your skills are up to par and confident that your dough can take it, then make the giant butter pocket.
Hm, so how do you do that? Roll out the dough, coat it with a thin layer of softened butter, fold it up, and roll it out again?
I've been looking for dry butter, but it's impossible to find in most supermarkets. I might try the co-op nearby, and I'm also having our dairy chemist check the moisture content on every butter he's ever tested. Working in a food lab has its perks.
You roll out into a long rectangle, layer half with cold (hard but malleable) butter squares, fold, roll, fold, roll, layer with more squares, fold, roll, keep at it until you are all out of butter then you should have nice thin butter/no butter/butter/no butter layers. Just remember to let it cool every two or three folds so the butter stays solid.
Yup. Like I said, my problem was that I did too many turns between chills, not accounting for the fact that my kitchen was 85 F at the time.
Your cheating method intrigues me. I can't think of a single reason why it shouldn't work. Does your pastry come out light and flaky and all that jazz?
You chop the butter into thin squares? Every recipe and technique I saw involved mashing all the butter into a single square patty and incorporating that into the base dough.
Well if you are a cheater like me, you coat with butter with every fold, either use beurre sec if you are lucky enough to find some, or use the butter with the highest fat content you can find, if you think your skills are up to par and confident that your dough can take it, then make the giant butter pocket.
Hm, so how do you do that? Roll out the dough, coat it with a thin layer of softened butter, fold it up, and roll it out again?
I've been looking for dry butter, but it's impossible to find in most supermarkets. I might try the co-op nearby, and I'm also having our dairy chemist check the moisture content on every butter he's ever tested. Working in a food lab has its perks.
You roll out into a long rectangle, layer half with cold (hard but malleable) butter squares, fold, roll, fold, roll, layer with more squares, fold, roll, keep at it until you are all out of butter then you should have nice thin butter/no butter/butter/no butter layers. Just remember to let it cool every two or three folds so the butter stays solid.
Yup. Like I said, my problem was that I did too many turns between chills, not accounting for the fact that my kitchen was 85 F at the time.
Your cheating method intrigues me. I can't think of a single reason why it shouldn't work. Does your pastry come out light and flaky and all that jazz?
I noticed that the layers can be a bit thicker than the store bought, but that's about it.
Oh I almost forgot, leave a small part on the sides and top un-buttered so the dough can seal around it so the butter doesn't shoot out as you are rolling.
Generally what I'll do when I have a bunch of leftovers in my fridge, I'll toss them all together in a bowl, throw in a couple of other things I have around and call it dinner. Keeps me from having to throw away the food when it does go bad.
Most recently this involved rotisserie chicken from the grocery store (mix of light and dark meat), prepackaged real crumbled bacon, white rice, shredded cheddar cheese, and hot sauce (Cholula being my brand of choice). Mix it all together and microwave until the cheese is melted then top with a couple spoonfuls of sour cream. Not very healthy I know, but it's very good.
Really simple seafood risotto using bream (but any white fleshed, easily flaked fish will work) Sorry about the photos, I had no idea my phone's camera was so crap, still deciding and saving for a DSLR. 1 Fennel Bulb 1/2 a Celery Bulb 2 Onions 400g Arborio Rice 2 Red Chillies 2 Cloves of Garlic 6 Anchovy Fillets Pre-Prepped Stock (I cheated) 1tsp Fennel Seeds (ground) 100mls of a French Vermouth (I like using Noilly Prat) Olive Oil 35g Butter Pepper Salt Fish pan fried (may be baked) Everything Prepped in order (not inclusive of appliances). Single Serve, looked a lot better than the photo! Should be served with a crustier bread and some salad.
It must, since that picture looks like it caught some super fast growing mold. What did you use for camera? Celphone? I might've tried that if I liked seafood. I only like soused herring from ye olde glass pot. Now I want to buy some.
Comments
-Work with your fingertips
-Chop the butter in thin squares and keep then in the fridge
-Store the dough on a slightly moist towel for a few minutes inside the fridge if its getting too hot
-Patience
You chop the butter into thin squares? Every recipe and technique I saw involved mashing all the butter into a single square patty and incorporating that into the base dough.
I've been looking for dry butter, but it's impossible to find in most supermarkets. I might try the co-op nearby, and I'm also having our dairy chemist check the moisture content on every butter he's ever tested. Working in a food lab has its perks.
Your cheating method intrigues me. I can't think of a single reason why it shouldn't work. Does your pastry come out light and flaky and all that jazz?
I'm not into cutting!
@Mr Roboto: Thanks for the tips. I'm going to try my hand at this puff pastry thing again this weekend. We'll see how it goes.
Most recently this involved rotisserie chicken from the grocery store (mix of light and dark meat), prepackaged real crumbled bacon, white rice, shredded cheddar cheese, and hot sauce (Cholula being my brand of choice). Mix it all together and microwave until the cheese is melted then top with a couple spoonfuls of sour cream. Not very healthy I know, but it's very good.
Here, we see that the crust is the correct thickness.
I went with a Mediterranean combination: fresh mozzarella, feta, spinach, kalamata olives, red onion, and a tomato sauce infused with lamb.
The big one: is it flexible enough to fold? The answer: fuck yes.
The crust was a bit denser than I wanted, but I think it just needed to rise more. It was also a bit crisper than I wanted, but that's easily solved.
Sorry about the photos, I had no idea my phone's camera was so crap, still deciding and saving for a DSLR.
1 Fennel Bulb
1/2 a Celery Bulb
2 Onions
400g Arborio Rice
2 Red Chillies
2 Cloves of Garlic
6 Anchovy Fillets
Pre-Prepped Stock (I cheated)
1tsp Fennel Seeds (ground)
100mls of a French Vermouth (I like using Noilly Prat)
Olive Oil
35g Butter
Pepper
Salt
Fish pan fried (may be baked)
Everything Prepped in order (not inclusive of appliances).
Single Serve, looked a lot better than the photo!
Should be served with a crustier bread and some salad.
The "mould" is finely chopped fennel stalks, possibly too much for crappy photo purposes.
However, I would rather make it with mochi for mochi ice cream.