Puff Pastry Sausage Rolls (and veggie rolls)

December 31, 2020

For Fillings

  1. Veg:
    1. roast a deseeded butternut squash cut into 8 segments for 45mins at 180 (160 for fan oven)
    2. use fork to fluff up add crumbled chestnuts, cranberries, grated cheese etc
  2. Sausages: skin on sausages lengthwise and remove skin

 

  1. cut Puff pastry sheets into two lengths
  2. add filling 1 cm from edge and egg wash inside edge
  3. fold over pastry and crimp closed with a fork
  4. egg wash top of rolls and cut into 4 or 8 pieces
  5. Bake at 180 (160 fan) for 30-35 mins bottom shelf for 30-35 minutes

 

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Strudel (Filo Pastry)

December 31, 2020
  1. Oven 180c bake 30 minutes on bottom shelf 
  2. 100g melted butter, boil with grated zest of 2 clementines and the juice and 4 leaves of rosemary
  3. 1+ pack of FILO PASTRY (8 SHEETS)
  4. WORK FAST! prepare the filling first
  5. Filling :
    • mixture of apple chopped nuts, crumbled ginger biscuits, grated pear, raisons/sultanas, chocolate chips, 2-3  teaspspoons of honey etc
  6. Overlay 4 sheets on a tea towel, to cover the teatowel overlapping the pastry
  7. Seal layers with some of the melted flavoured butter and spread butter all over
  8. Add remaining 4 sheets,  coat with half of remaining butter
  9. Spread on the filling,  keep 1 inch clear from edges
  • RoLL the strudel as follows
  • Fold left in 4″
  • Fold right in 4″
  • Fold nearest edge in slightly then use tea towel to fold press fold press until rolled
  • Lift confidently onto buttered baking tray, pour on and rub in remains melted butter
  • Sprinkle on crystallised brown sugar for a 

 

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Shortcrust XMAS Pie Pastry

December 31, 2020
  1. 375 g  Plain Flour and 3/4 pack of unsalted butter   
    • OR  (or 500g plain flour and 1 whole pack of butter)
  2. seasoned with salt and blitz until smooth in Food processor
  3. add 1 egg and some water into the centre and mix with a fork until pastry comes together
  4. 1/2 pastry and wrap both in cling film, and chill for at least 1/2 hour in fridge
  5. Roll pastry for base until the thickness of a one penny
  6. Egg wash the edges so top layer sticks 
  7. Fill with filling mixed with gravy
  8. Roll out top, and cut out pieces with pastry cutter 
  9. Place sheet with holes over pie, and egg wash
  10. Add cut-outs to cover almost all the holes
  11. Egg wash all over 
  12. Trim edges
  13. and crimp with a fork, 
  14. line one teaspoon of turkey fat in the pie dish
  15. Bake ON BOTTOM of OVEN, for 45 -50 mins at 170, But in fan oven, I  baked as follows :
    • (150 for 15 mins, + 160 for 5 mins + 170 for 5 mins)

For the filling

turkey chunks and stuffing and sliced leeks smothered in lots of gravy (but not runny)

For the gravy

  • 2 rashers of chopped streaky bacon
  • 2 chopped leeks
  • 3 sliced mushrooms
  • 1 small teaspoon of grainy mustard
  • 2 dessertspoons of plain flour
  • 1.5-2 pints of stock
  • Boil
  • Then add 2 tablespoons of creme fraiche
  • simmer
  • liquidize – until thick, smooth and creamy

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Traditional welsh cakes

July 13, 2019

Makes at least a dozen welsh cakes..

Ingredients

  • 175g plain flour plus teaspoon baking powder and a sprinkle of grated nutmeg
  • 85g butter diced chilled
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 50g of currents
  • 1/2 free-range egg, beaten with
  • 50g  caster sugar
  • milk, if needed
  • extra butter, for greasing

Method

  1. Sift flour into a bowl and add the diced butter.
  2. Add the sugar to the1/2 egg and beat – leave to dissolve
  3. Rub flour and cold butter with your fingertips, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
  4. Add the currents
  5. Add the  beaten egg with dissolved sugar,and mix well gently BY HAND to form by hand a ball of dough, using a splash of milk if needed. do not knead
  6. DO NOT OVERWORK DOUGH
  7. Roll the dough out on a heavily floured board to a thickness of about 1/2 cm thick or thicker if desired (up to 1cm)
  8. Cut into rounds with pastry cutter.
  9. Rub agriddle with butter, wipe away the excess and place on the hob until it is heated through.
  10. Cook the Welsh cakes a few at a time for 3-5 minutes on each side, or until golden-brown. (electric hob setting 4-5 takes about 4+ mins each side – take care it doesn’t get too hot)

 

 

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Quiche Bases – Shortcrust pastry

June 18, 2011

I’ve never made shortcrust pastry before because I had no idea how easy it is.

Tip: Sift flour into a large bowl from as high as possible to make airy, use very soft butter, and use knife as much as possible before fingers.

Ingredients
6 oz plain flour
6 oz very soft butter (I used Lurpak spreadable)
1.5 tablespoons of water approx
1 pinch of salt

  1. Sift flour from up high into a large bowl
  2. Add flour and using a knife cut and lift into flour until its like crumbs
  3. Then crumble a little more with finger tips
  4. Sprinkle on water and again with knife cutting and lifting
  5. Use fingers until a nice smooth ball of pastry is made – add more water if necessary
  6. Chill for 30minutes in a plastic bag before rolling out and lining a flan dish
  7. Push edges down before cutting then squash afterwards, try to cut generously above edge if poss
  8. Coat all surfaces except the very top edges with egg
  9. Prick base gently all over with a fork – Holes get bigger during baking, so take care
  10. Pre-bake at 190C for 20-25 minutes until only just turning golden brown
  11. Check during cooking incase its lifting and prick again and push down with hands if necessary

See Quiche fillings for some ideas

 

NOTES : I used 4 oz instead of 6oz of flour and butter and it created a very thin pastry – it baked in 20 mins. I prefer thicker so have increased the ingredients and so baking time will probably increase

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