Cornish Pasties

I seem to be on a British cooking kick lately. I just love to cook things knowing I am keeping up the tradition of recipes that were made my grandmother, great grandmothers, and beyond. I am lucky to have the luxury of modern conveniences such as an electric oven, big powerful mixers and food processors. I can't imagine what it must have been like to have to do everything by hand and then try to cook with a wood burning oven.

Cornish pasties were traditionally made for Cornish miners to take with them down into the mines. They were made with a sturdy crust filled with meat and veggies, everything in a nice, tidy package that the men could stick in their pockets and have for lunch. I made mine with a lard/butter crust which is what I found on an English website on the subject. I imagine that suet or bacon fat could also be used or a combination of vegetable shortening and butter. A cardiologist's nightmare. My crust was so easy to handle. It rolled out like a charm and was ever so flaky. A crust success!!

Also, apparently carrots are a no-no in a traditional Cornish pasty. Turnips are the veggie de rigueur. Well, I had no turnips so carrots made their way into my recipe. I think parsnips or perhaps even a little butternut squash cut into small little cubes would be delicious. There was leftover filling which when sauteed, made a great hash for breakfast.

Cornish Pasties

(Makes 7 pasties)

Crust

3 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup cold lard, cut into small cubes

1/4 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes

3/4 cup ice water

Mix dry ingredients into a bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add ice water a little at a time, tossing with a fork to make a pastry-like dough. Add a bit more water if it seems dry. Dough should hold together when squeezed lightly. Gather into two balls, press firmly, then wrap with plastic wrap and chill while preparing the pasty filling. I made mine the night before so it was well chilled when I was ready to make the pasties.

Filling

1 lb. bottom round steak cut into small, bite sized pieces

2 Yukon gold potatoes, cut into a small dice

1 carrot, cut into a small dice

1/2 cup diced onion

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp dried thyme

3-4 shakes Worcestershire sauceMix all of the filling ingredients together well and let sit for 15 minutes.Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until it's approximately 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 6 inch circles. Place circles of dough onto a parchment covered baking sheet. Put approximately 1/3 cup of filling in the middle of the circle. With water, wet 1/2 of the circle's edge with water. Fold the other half of the circle over the filling and press tightly around the edge and then turn the edge over itself to completely seal so no filling leaks out while baking. Brush each pasty with an egg wash (1 beaten egg with a little water or cream), make a 1 inch slit in the top of each pastie to let steam escape while cooking.Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes then turn down oven to 325 degrees and bake for another 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown.

My Mothers' Scones

Whenever we have the opportunity to get to Seattle to spend time with my mother, she always serves us the most delicious orange and cranberry scones for breakfast. Hers are flaky and tender with a delicate flavor of orange along with the ever so tart dried cranberrys scattered throughout. They are something we always look forward to.

I decided to scour my cookbooks and try and find something similar which I did in a recipe by Ina Gartin in her cookbook, Barefoot Contessa At Home. Her recipe makes a large quantity so I cut it in half and this makes a dozen 3 inch round scones. The dough was fairly easy to work with but you must make sure you use enough flour on your board when rolling out, as it is a rather wet/soft dough. Also, she says to bake 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees but watch them very carefully as my first batch turned out a mahagony brown instead of a golden brown after only 16-17 minutes.

Orange and Cranberry Scones

(As adapted from the recipe in Barefoot Contessa At Home)2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for the board and rolling pin

1/8 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling the tops of the scones

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp grated orange zest

1 1/2 sticks cold butter, diced

2 eggs lightly beaten

1/2 cup cold heavy cream

1 cup dried cranberries

1 egg beaten with 2 Tbsp water for egg wash

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper or silpat mat.

In a bowl for an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and orange zest until combined. Add the cold butter and mix at lowest speed until the butter is the size of peas. Comine the eggs and cream and mix on low speed into the flour and butter mixture and mix just until blended. Combine the dried cranberries into the mixture until just blended.Turn the dough onto a well floured board and knead it into a ball. Flour your hands and rolling pin and roll the dough out until it's just under 1 inch thick. Flour a 3 inch round cutter and cut out the dough. Place onto prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops of each scone with egg wash then sprinkle with sugar. Bake until golden brown approximately 20 minutes, depending on your oven. These can be glazed with a mixture of confectioners sugar and orange juice or eaten as is.

The Versatile Puff Pastry

A recent discovery of mine has been working with puff pastry. Such a variety of recipes can be prepared in a flash if you keep a box of puff pastry in your freezer. It can be used for both savory or sweet dishes. In the savory category, I have used puff pastry as a topping for chicken pot pies and also as a base to serve a creamed seafood medley. Granted, it's a fairly high caloric splurge, what with all the layers of flour and butter, but isn't it worth it to indulge once in awhile?

Included in this entry are two desserts I made over the past couple months. One is a simple turnover and the only trick to this is to make sure the pastry is cut in fairly exact squares, otherwise it is difficult to keep the filling encased. (I learned this the hard way). I filled mine with some wonderful prepared cherry filling. It is important to brush the edges of the turnover with egg wash and press them closed with a fork. Bake 20 minutes or so at 350Degrees or until they are golden and puffed.
The other dessert is an apple tart. This was even easier than the turnover. All that is needed are some nice, tart cooking applies (I used Romes and Granny Smiths) cut into eights. These were placed on top of the squares of puff pastry, sprinkled with a bit of cinnamon, brown sugar and a dollop of butter (because there just isn't enough butter in the pastry!) and baked until the pastry was golden and the apples were soft. So French and so delicious.

Pate Choux Eclairs avec Creme Patissiere et sauce au Chocolate

Bonjour. Aujourd'hui nous faisons cuire un très bon dessert classique français. Translation: Good Day. Today we are cooking a very good classic French dessert. Eclairs filled with pastry cream and topped with a bittersweet chocolate sauce.

I wanted to challenge myself with a multifaceted dessert and this one fit the bill. I went to a number of sources for each component which consist of: 1)eclairs; 2)pastry cream; and 3)chocolate sauce. Each piece of this dessert was fairly easy in it's own right and the pastry cream can be made a couple of days prior to needing it as it can stay in the refrigerator covered with plastic. Those French really know how to cook, don't they?
So here we go.

Note: There is one special equipment requirement and that is a large pastry bag and pastry tip for piping out the eclairs.
Pate Choux Eclairs
1/2 cup water
4 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs at room temperature

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine the water and butter in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the flour all at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. Return to moderate heat and stir constantly until the dough leaves the sides of the pan and forms a ball. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating hard until the dough is smooth after each egg. Put the dough in a pastry bag and pipe onto an ungreased cookie sheet in strips about 4 1/2 inches long and 1 inch wide. Bake for 30 minutes or until the puffs are golden. Take from oven and put a slit in the side of each eclair to let the steam escape. Put on racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container if not using within 2 hours.
Above: Flour, water, and butter combined and cooked.

Above: Adding eggs one at a time.

Above: Dough ready to be piped onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Above: Piped eclairs ready for the oven.

Above: Finished eclair shells.

Creme Patissiere (Pastry Cream)

1 cup whole milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp sugar
3 egg yolks
1 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp unsalted butter

Combine the milk and 1/4 cup sugar in a saucepan and heat until the sugar dissolves. In a bowl, beat the egg yolks with the remaining tablespoon of sugar until thick. Sprinkle the flour and cornstarch into the mixture and combine and continue beating until well mixed.

Above: the egg yolks and sugar ready for a good stir until it thickens.
Above: Finished pastry cream ready for it's plastic wrap cover and refrigeration until ready to use.

Remove the milk from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour half the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture and stir. Return this mixture to the remaining milk in the saucepan and bring to a boil very quickly, whisking to prevent scorching. Remove from the heat and pour into a clean bowl. Rub the top of the cream with butter to prevent a skin from forming. Top with a piece of plastic wrap so that it covers the entire surface of the cream and let cool completely then refrigerate.
Sauce Au Chocolate (Chocolate Sauce)
2/3 cup white corn syrup
2/3 cup water
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 ounces (2 squares) unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped
6 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 big pinch of salt
2 tsp vanilla extract

Boil the corn syrup in a small saucepan for a minute or two, until it forms heavy strands as you drop it off the spoon. Remove from heat and stir in the water. Stir together the sugar and cocoa getting out all of the lumps, then whisk them in the syrup. Simmer, stirring for several seconds until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the baking chocolate and simmer, stirring until melted. Blend in the butter and cream. Bring to a full boil for 15 seconds. Remove from heat and stir in the salt and vanilla.
Above: Corn syrup at a full boil

Above: Chocolate with addition of cream and butter.

This is a very loose sauce and I was wanting a more thick frosting that I could apply to the tops of the eclairs so I took half the sauce and mixed in confectioners sugar until it came to the consistency of frosting.

Assembly:

Cut eclairs in two and scrape some of the insides. Pipe or spoon in the pastry cream. Put top back on. Apply a layer of chocolate frosting over the top of the eclair. Put a puddle of the chocolate sauce on the plate and set your beautiful filled and frosted eclair in the middle of the sauce. A dollop of whip cream would certainly not hurt if you have some around. Indulge!