Secrets of puff pastry revealed

By Sandra Hoopes, December 2011
Foods Editor    

Photo by Sandra Hoopes

Once you learn to cook with puff pastry, the sky is the limit on how it can be used. This Tomato,Basil and Feta Tarte is a quick savory dish but, the dough can be dessert as well.

It’s no secret that wintertime is packed with all types of parties.  From the holiday cocktail party to the Super Bowl bash, the reasons to celebrate don’t stop until the last Valentine has been opened. These parties can be a lot of fun; unless, of course, you’re the one doing all the cooking.

Don’t get stuck in the kitchen and miss your own party or settle for the same old “chips and dips” routine that everyone serves.  You could hire a professional chef to impress your guests, but that can be expensive.  Why not cater your own party like a professional with a few tips on how to cook with puff pastry?

Puff pastry is a flakey dough that is so versatile it can be made into everything from appetizers to desserts.  It is perhaps the most difficult dough for a bakery to make.  Luckily, it is available in the freezer section of almost any grocery store.

When choosing puff pastry dough, read the ingredient list and try to choose a brand made with real butter.  Puff pastry dough made with vegetable oil is a good alternative if you can’t find dough made with butter, and it is actually great for vegan dishes.

Cut puff pastry dough with straight, even cuts using a sharp knife.  Do not push down on the edges of the dough or touch the edges with your fingers.  This will smash and melt the layers together and the dough will not rise evenly. In addition, if you are using an egg wash to help brown the dough, do not let the egg wash drip over the sides or the sides will not rise.

“Dock” the dough by piercing it every inch or so with the tines of a fork so that the dough will rise evenly.  If you don’t want the dough to rise, you can bake it between two cookie sheets so that the weight of the top sheet keeps the dough from rising.

Be sure to “rest” the dough for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator after cutting and shaping the dough.  The dough must be cold when you put it in the oven or it will not rise.

Puff pastry dough does not use yeast to rise.  Instead, it uses steam created by the moisture inside the butter.  So, cook the dough at a high temperature of 400 to 425 degrees Farhenheit  so that steam will form in the butter or oil and cause the dough to flake and rise.

If you are using the puff pastry for a sweet dish, you may sprinkle it with sugar before baking.
     
Mini Apple Tarte Tatin

8 small Granny Smith apples
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons water
1/2 stick butter
1   sheet puff pastry dough

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit
• Prepare large muffin tins by spraying with nonstick baking spray.
• Core apples and peel.  Keep in a bowl of water with lemon juice until caramel is ready.• Put sugar in a medium saucepan.  Carefully add the water so that it does not splash onto the sides and leave sugar crystals on the sides of the pan.
• Cook the sugar mixture until the sugar melts and becomes a deep amber color.  Remove from heat and add cubes of butter, one at a time.  Swirl the pan to incorporate the butter.
• Slice apples into very thin 1/4-inch-thick rings.  Keep the slices together in the shape of an apple.  Place one apple in its own muffin cup.  Divide the caramel sauce evenly between each muffin cup.
• Bake for two hours or until the caramel bakes through the apples, and the apples are fork tender.  Check the apples at 11/2 hours.  Do not cook until mushy.  Remove from oven.
• Lightly roll out the puff pastry dough and cut into eight squares.  Dock the dough by pricking it all over with the tines of a fork to prevent it from puffing too much while baking.
• Bake the squares at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until golden brown.
• Turn the apples out of the muffin tin, and place one apple on each puff pastry square.  Drizzle with the caramel sauce from the muffin tin, and garnish with whipped cream.

Pastry Tarte with Tomato and Basil

2 cups cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces feta cheese, cubed
Salt
Fresh cracked pepper
2 sheets of puff pastry dough, thawed
Garnish:
Parmesan cheese, fresh grated
Fresh basil leaves, chopped

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
• Cut cherry tomatoes in half, and place in a large mixing bowl.  Add minced garlic, and toss with balsamic vinaigrette.
• On a floured work surface, roll out the thawed puff pastry dough to a 1/8-inch thickness.  Cut the puff pastry into three even-sized strips.  Dock the dough by piercing it all over with a fork, so it will rise evenly in the oven and not puff too muc.h
• Sprinkle cubes of cheese over the “crusts.”  Drain the tomatoes and garlic mixture, and spread over the cheese.
• Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown.

Pastry Cups with Olives, Leeks and Mozzarella

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 leeks, sliced (whites only)
1 cup calamite olives, pitted
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Fresh cracked pepper
2 sheets puff pastry dough, thawed
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into inch cubes
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, fresh grated

• Preheat oven to 400 F
• Sauté washed, sliced leeks in olive oil until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes.
• Toss olives and thyme with olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.
• On a floured work surface, roll out the thawed puff pastry dough to a 1/8-inch thickness.  Cut the puff pastry into 3-inch by 3-inch squares.  Dock the dough by piercing it all over with a fork, so it will rise evenly in the oven and not puff too much.
• Place the squares over the cups of a mini-muffin tin, and push the squares into the cups, and press the corners down on the outside of the cups.
• Bake at 400 F for 10 minutes. Remove pans from oven, and place a piece of cheese in the bottom of each cup.  Mix the leeks and olive mixture, and spoon over the cheese. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.
• Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Serve warm.

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