Your pastry rules

Pastry making is another form of therapy for me but it's a technique that scares some cooks. I love shortcrust pastry – it has been overtaken by puff pastry in recent times. The invention of the ready-made pastry sheet is without doubt fantastic but it's good to make sure you can still cut it.

Here are some basic rules you'll find helpful :

Shortcrust pastry is half fat to flour and then liquid to bind

Flour contains gluten – the more you work your pastry the more

you develop the gluten and if you want a pastry suitable for a patio

that's how to achieve it!

Your pastry should be crumbly – your ingredients

should be cold – it will help keep the pastry light and crumbly -

including your kitchen – first thing in the morning is best

When rolling out try not to use too much flour – you're adding

more flour to your pastry and distorting the recipe

If you have to work on a warm day in a warm kitchen

then roll it between two sheets of baking parchment

Rest your pastry for 30 minutes in the fridge before rolling it will also prevent shrinkage when baking

Rest your pastry again, covered, when rolled out and in its tins

Having inwardly digested all of the above there is one golden rule that should always be observed – baking is a science – be accurate with your weighing out. There's nothing wrong with using a food processor to make your pastry but I think you get a better result from using what comes naturally – your own hands.

Coming up next is the result of my “therapy session”!

Do you like making pastry?

... I do!

Here's my first idea for your treasure chest – Cheese Feasts – using a cheese shortcrust pastry.

Cheese Feasts

200g/8oz plain (all purpose) flour

pinch of salt

100g/4oz unsalted butter, diced

100g/4oz mature cheddar cheese, finely grated

ice cold water to bind

1 egg, beaten for egg wash

Place the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl, add the diced butter and rub in using your thumb and index finger until you have a texture resembling fine breadcrumbs. Add your grated cheese and mix. Make a well in the centre and add a glug of water. Using a round bladed knife bring the pastry together. Add another glug of water and continue bringing together until the pastry holds together and you have a “clean” mixing bowl. Add your water gradually, your pastry should not be too wet. Wrap the pastry in cling film and fridge it for 20/30 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface cut your pastry in half and roll out half thinly – 0.5cms/1/8”. I used non stick cases 10cms/4” in diameter. If you turn one upside down and place on the pastry, cut out six circles using a round bladed knife. You'll get twelve cases from the quantity of pastry.

You have options – I placed the uncooked cases in bags and put them straight into the freezer. You can freeze some or all – if you want to use immediately fridge them, then egg wash when you're ready to bake. Pre-heat your oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6 and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. Set them aside to cool, ready for filling.

Pastry rules coming next!

Remember your Treasure Chest …

… aka your freezer? Autumn/Fall is upon us, like it or not, so here are some thoughts which will help you to get the best out of your treasure chest.

I know planning is not everyone's idea of fun but you will be pleased with what you save – in time and dosh.

The first bit you won't like – clear out your freezer – you know that at least a third of its contents you won't even remember buying or, for that matter, recognise!

What you cook and freeze is largely controlled by the likes and dislikes of your family.

It's good to use what's in season too and usually there's a glut of produce, enabling you to take advantage of some good deals.

Now that you've cleared out your freezer and have loads of space I'm going to give you some idea of what to cook to re-stock it so that you've the basics in your treasure chest to make your Autumn cooking stress free.

There are other ways you can save yourself time - you know that I live by the mantra “whilst I'm at it, I might as well” - my favourite “whilst I'm at it ...” example is baking potatoes when my oven is already on, usually six at a time.

Planning ahead and filling your treasure chest will help you put together meals quickly and easily.

By the way - do you like making pastry?

It's not what you know …

it's who you know.

I have two Nephews – Lucas my IT Guru and Editor I've already mentioned. Nathan among his many talents is a steel fabricator.

On holiday altogether earlier this year I was grumbling to my Sis that I couldn't find rings or cutters if you prefer – large enough for neat flatbreads. I know that rustic is good but sometimes it's good to be precise.

From nowhere came - “I'll make your rings, let me know what size you want”.

Happy Birthday to me. I was cheeky and asked for two different sizes – 12 and 15 cms (4¾” and 6” respectively).

A while later, I received a present in the post - check these out – in food grade stainless steel no less!

a thing of beauty is a joy forever, to quote John Keats.

Thanks Nathan - the world is now my neat flatbread lobster!

Stock isn't just for soup

Your veggie stock isn't just for making soup.

There are excellent recipes using potatoes – try this one on for size, as they say.

Boulangere potatoes uses onions, fresh thyme, thinly sliced potatoes and veggie stock.

Boulangere potatoes

Serves 8

2 onions, sliced thinly

2 sprigs of fresh thyme

2 tbsp rapeseed oil

1½kg/3.3lbs of potatoes – Maris Piper

or Desirée, sliced thinly *see below

425ml/15fl oz/¾ pint of veggie stock

Pre-heat your oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6.

Fry the onions and thyme sprigs in the oil for 5 minutes.

Spread a layer of potatoes over the base of a 1.5litre oiled gratin dish. Sprinkle over a few onions and keep layering with the potatoes. Your top layer should be potato. Add your stock and bake until the potatoes are cooked and the top is golden and crisp. 50/60 minutes.

There is nothing to stop you prepping and part cooking this dish in advance – when time permits. Cook it for half the time. Remove from the oven, cool, cover with foil and fridge.

Supper the next day. Pre-heat your oven as above. Line a baking sheet with smoked back bacon – as much as you want to serve.

Place the potatoes and the bacon in the oven. Set your timer for 15 minutes, turn the bacon, repeat.

Enjoy!

Notes:

*If you wanted a couple of suggestions for a suitable US variety of potato, Yukon Gold or Russets (my favourite) would fit the bill.

Finally, a useless bit of information - do you know why they are called “Boulangere” potatoes?

I'm sure I'm stating the obvious. A “boulangerie” is a bakery “en francais”. There would be one bakery in a village. Villagers would take their potato dishes to the baker and they'd all be cooked in the one oven after the bread was baked for the day, making the best use of the ovens as they cooled down.

That's what I call organised!

What to do – take two!

Having been given one invention test I was not expecting another – that'll teach me. The previous test used cooked veggies. This time were were given a bowlful of raw ingredients. The only other rule was that it had to have a different texture and appearance.

You could include a potato, so I did, hence my title :

Soup de Ssoise (not quite Vichy!)

2 medium leeks, top, tail and finely sliced

3 sticks of celery, top, tail and finely sliced

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped finely

Glug of Rapeseed/Canola oil

1 medium sized old potato, cubed

pinch of Marjoram

pinch of Fines Herbes

salt and black pepper

1 litre/1¾ pints of veggie stock

Heat the rapeseed oil, in a large saucepan. Add the veggies and sweat for 5 minutes. Add the Marjoram and Fines Herbes and cook through so that their flavours are released into the veggies. Add the stock and potato then simmer until the potato is cooked.

This soup is meant to be smooth – blend two ladles to begin. Do the spoon test as mentioned in Soup de Loop and decant into a large jug or bowl until you've achieved a smooth consistency. Taste your soup – add more herbs if desired together with black pepper. Finally add salt to taste.

Once I'd got over the shock of having to work without any recipe – it was good fun creating something from nothing.

I suppose what I'm trying to show is that you can create something from nothing - go fridge foraging and use up either cooked leftovers or stray raw ingredients. You never know you may cook extra veggies deliberately!

A herb note or two.

Marjoram is delicate and sweet in flavour – the French sometimes add it to Fines Herbes. Fines Herbes are French and a classic combination of herbs – parsley, chives, tarragon and chervil. Just thought you'd like to know.

P.s. I should explain the “not quite Vichy” quote in the title. Vichyssoise is a French soup traditionally made with leeks, onions, potatoes, cream and chicken stock. It is usually served cold but can be hot. The ingredients we were given just reminded me of the soup but since I had no cream and it was to be served hot it wasn't quite Vichy!

What to do …

… with your stash of veggie stock.

Back in the day when I was working for my Cordon Bleu Certificate and, may I say, before there were such programmes as Masterchef one of the tasks we were given was an invention test.

The brief was - make a soup with a bowl of cooked peas, sweetcorn, carrot and broccoli.

Here's my recipe :

Soup de Loop

1 onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 green chilli, chopped – seeds removed

glug of rapeseed/Canola oil

1 old potato, cubed

1 litre/1¾ pints of veggie stock

1 dessert spoon of medium curry powder

1 tsp mace

salt and black pepper

Dice the carrots and keep the broccoli in small florets and set aside.

In a large saucepan sauté the onion, garlic and chilli in the oil, add the curry powder and mace. Add the stock and cubed potato and bring to the boil, then simmer until the potato is cooked but firm. Place two ladles of the soup into a blender and blitz until thick.

If you want to gauge the texture the trick is to dip a spoon into the blitzed soup – check the back of the spoon – it will show the texture. If you're happy with the consistency add it back into your remaining soup. Complete by adding your cooked peas, sweetcorn, diced carrots and broccoli. If you want a thicker consistency repeat the “blitz” with two more ladles.

As with all soups taste and adjust the seasoning at the end and you're ready to serve, piping hot.

The result was a chunky, thick soup with visible veggies.

I passed!