Chef Wise

Now officially I do not know if I can say that this is a Cornish pasty recipe as I am not in Cornwall. But it is what I would make and say that it is my version of a Cornish pasty. And as it was once this is just the thing to make for a long weekend of picnics and flag waving, or street parties , whatever you are doing for the jubilee celebrations have a good time. . You will need 225g/½lb plain flour 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt 60g/2½oz unsalted butter 1 egg yolk 60ml/2½fl oz water 1 egg for glazing 50g/2oz swede 150g/5½oz potato 50g/2oz onion 100g/3½oz fine diced   beef 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley Salt and freshly ground black pepper First you have to get you pastry made then put it in the fridge and chill it. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt in to a bowl then add the butter. Work the butter in to the flour to make a bread crumb then add the egg and work that in to the mix. Add the water a little at a time until you form a ...

This pastry is very good for sweet tarts and cakes . As a blind baked pastry for some thing like a lemon tar or French fruit flan you could do no better. 300g/10½oz plain flour 125g/4oz cold unsalted butter 30g/1oz caster sugar 2 eggs 2 tbsp milk or water(optional) This is a rich pastry so if you are making it by hand make it as follows. Sift the flour in to a bowl, Cut the butter up in to fine cubes so it easy to work in to the flour. Add the sugar in the eggs then beat them together then add that to the flour and butter. Using a fork at first bring the mix together then add a little milk or water, if you need to. Then rest in the fridge for about 15 to 20 minutes. Or you can make it in a food processor , just do not over mix it. Now take your pastry, roll it out on a well-floured board, and line the baking tin then put this back in the fridge for another 20 to 30 minutes. Then take it out, line with a baking sheet, fill with baking beans and blind bake for about 15 t...

You have in this world a number of pastry recipes and you find that people find one that works and stick to it. I have in my time found that it is the safe things that work are normally the best. And if you want a good result every time try to remember a few things. Handel as little as you can to start with you melt the fat, try and cut the fat up as small as you can its easier to work with. If the fat starts to melt that can make the pastry tough. Also, make sure that the fat is cool but not to hard, that makes the job so much harder. . Be as light as you can when making any pastry. To heavy handed and you get a heavy pastry. Measure every thing and do not geese or think that that is close enough or you will end up with a disaster. Sift all your flour as well, that will get rid of any lumps that you might end up with. So the basic short crust pastry 170g or 60z of plain flour Pinch of salt (only if your butter is unsalted) 30g or 1oz of lard 55g or 2oz of unsalted...

This is like puff pastry but not as hard to make, well that is what most pastry chefs will tell you. Just remember that you do not need to work the fat to much of you will have a short crust pastry. Rough puff pastry. 225g or 80z plain flour A pinch of salt (Only if your butter is not salted) 140g or 5oz of butter 1230 to 150ml or 4 to5 fl oz very cold water . First, you must sift your flour in to a bowl then cut the butter into lumps about the size of a dice or sugar cube. Place the butter in the bowl with the flour then add the water, just enough to bind it all together. You must mix this very lightly , you do not want to see the butter blend in to the pastry to much you just want to see it all come together, Also do not be to heavy with your mixing or you will start to knock the air out of it . Once it has all come together then wrap it and place it in the fridge for about 10 to 15 minutes. Then take your chilled and rested mix and place on a floured board or work su...

This pastry is all about air and getting layers of air in-between the pastry to make it light and fluffy. You can just get from a shop easy ready to roll puff pastry and there is nothing wrong with that, in fact I would argue that you price that you pay to get some in would cost you less than it would to make your own if you take out the labour involved .But to know how to make it is important and a thing that you can always do when the shop has ran out. What you are trying to do is get layer of fat and water between the pastry that will melt produce steam and that will create the layer in the pastry. Also, you will note that this pastry has a lot more water than you would have in a short crust pastry recipe as well. Puff pastry. 225g or 8oz plain flour A pinch of salt (only if your butter is not salted) 30g to 1 oz of lard. 120 to 150ml or 4 to 5 fl oz very cold water. 140 to 200g 0r 5 to 7 oz of butter. Now personally I have always found that making puff pastry is ...

Now this pastry is that fantastic pastry that you get on pork pies or raise d game pies. the sort of thing that you take on a picnic on a summers day and sit back and watch the world go by on long summer days .Or a Christmas buffet with a game pie filled with all kinds of meat layered to show of to your gusts . The thing you have to know about it is that it will dry out very quickly once you start to work with it. Also do not cool it to much or it will go rock hard and be impossible to work and by the time it is ready to work, it will have dried out. Os know what you are going to do with it them make it and use it. The ingredients 225g or 8oz of plain flour half a teaspoon of salt, or a good pinch or two. 1egg beaten 100ml or 3 and a half fl oz of water 40g or 1 and a quarter oz butter 40g or 1 and a quarter oz lard Sift the flour in to a blow and then add the egg. Now I was told that you should cover the egg with the flour but I normally mix it in slightly as when yo...

Choux pastry is a very simple thing to get right and also a very simple thing to get wrong. What you are looking for is something that is like a Yorkshire pudding I its nature and there for a little difficult to do unless you follow the simple rules that follow Measure the ingredients properly; you cannot just make do with what you think. Do not boil the water until the butter has melted. If you boil the water, you will get to much evaporation and that will affect the result. Work fast and vigorously to get rid of the lumps. Do not add the egg when it is to hot or you will scramble the eggs. Do not ever add all the egg at once. Once you have all that in your head then you can make the pastry as follows. Choux pastry ingredients 85g to 3 oz butter 200ml or 7 fl oz water 105g or 3 and 3 quarter oz of plain flour A pinch of salt (only if you butter is not salted) And 3 eggs. Take your flour and double sift it. I know that doing it once is and should be enough but to d...