Every Australian knows the value of a good pie. In fact, there was a time when the humble pie could have been regarded as our national dish.
That’s probably no longer the case but it is still certainly true that fresh meat pies can be bought for immediate consumption in every bakery in every small town anywhere across the country.
We even eat them at home. In fact, we make them at home. So you would expect us to be experts in making pastry.
Not really. We do what the professional chefs do. We buy our pastry from the local store and I strongly recommend that you do the same.
Of all the frozen foods that can be bought over-the-counter, pastry is by far the most successful and there really is no need to make your own with one or two exceptions.
If you want really good sweet crust pastry, of the type you would find in a French patisserie, then you really have little choice but to make your own. Of course you do need a recipe for this and I give one at the end of this article.
And just because I can I'm also going to let you into the secret of how I produce an everyday pastry in seconds using a food processor.
The guiding principle to bear in mind is that for any given weight of flour you need half that weight of fat.
So, to make enough pastry for one pie, you need 500 g of plain flour, 250 g of fat, and one egg yolk. For the fat, I use a half and half mixture of butter (for flavor) and lard for crispness. If you prefer you could also use copha, which is a vegetable fat, instead of the lard.
Method
Put the flour in the processor and whiz it. Add the chopped up fat and whiz again for a short time, just so that the fat mixes in with the flour. Then add the egg yolk and switch on. The ball of pastry will form very quickly and you will need to handle it with well floured hands.
Wrap it in foil or cling film and put it in the refrigerator to relax for at least 30 minutes.
When you come to use it, roll it out using plenty of flour and handle it as little as possible.
This is a basic, all-purpose pastry and you can use it for just about anything you like. It will cook very well at just about any temperature between 150° C. and 220° C., but don’t forget that you will need to glaze it in some way.
"Glazing" simply means painting the pastry with some form of liquid that will help to prevent it from burning and give it a pleasing color. Typically, I would use an egg beaten in a little milk and I suggest that you do the same.
The advantage of this mix is that it is neutral and you can further improve the finished result by sprinkling your pastry with, say, sugar for a fruit pie, or dried herbs for one containing meat.
Making Friends With Filo
If you really want to impress your family, the boss, or the girl/boy next door then learn how to use filo pastry. It’s not as difficult as some people would have you believe.
In the first place I strongly advise you buy the fresh variety, which you will find on the cold shelf of your supermarket, and not the frozen packets which can be tricky to use and store.
Fresh filo is much more easy to use. You simply need to make sure that you have plenty of melted butter or olive oil to hand as you layer the sheets one on top of the other. The idea is to lay one sheet on a flat surface, paint it with melted butter, lay another sheet on top, paint that with melted butter and so on. Three to four sheets is enough for most dishes.
Using filo, you can make the most delicious crispy little pastries such as spring rolls, samosas and apple strudel. You can also use it to make bite sized pastry cases which you can stuff with your favorite filling. These are just great as appetizers to serve with drinks before dinner.
A Break From Convention
It may surprise you to know that although I own a pie dish I very rarely use one. Instead I tend to make my pies just using a baking tray.
I put one layer of pastry on the tray, pile my filling on top of it and then add a second layer and crimp the edges of both together. The result is a splendid, rustic looking pie that would do credit to any French farmhouse kitchen.
I strongly recommend this method as a way of making your meals more interesting. The less uniform your food is the more of a homemade appearance it will have, and it is this homely feel that separates a warm and friendly dinner party from the much more formal restaurant style.
Patisserie Quality Pastry
First, a word of warning. You may feel that the pastry I’m about to describe is impossible to handle. It isn’t. Once again, it’s all a matter of confidence.
The plain fact is that sweet pastry of this quality falls to pieces as you handle it. You simply have to patch it up as you go along. Don’t be afraid to do this. It may look a mess just before it goes in the oven, but I promise you that it will cook out perfectly.
Now for the recipe:
You will need:
* 250 g of plain flour
* 30 g of almond meal (ground almonds)
* 200 g of softened butter
* 100 g of icing sugar
* one egg beaten into a dessert spoon of whipping cream
* a splash of vanilla essence
* pinch of salt.
Mix the dry ingredients together, quickly cut the butter and vanilla into the flour using a dinner knife, followed by the egg beaten with the cream and a pinch of salt. You will now need to chill your pastry for at least one hour. Don’t forget to plastic wrap it before putting it in the refrigerator.
Roll it out on a well floured surface as quickly as possible. The trick is to keep the pastry as cool as possible and to handle it as little as possible. Even so, it can still be a bit of a trial to handle and this is one time when you definitely do need to use a pie dish of some kind.
Personally, I use an 8 in. cake tin with a removable bottom. This makes it easier to remove the finished pie once it has cooled down.
Don’t forget that you will need to bake the pastry blind before adding any filling. You do this by lining the pastry with a baking sheet and putting in something to weight it down. Any kind of dried beans are just great for this.
Sidebar:
If you are going to use the pastry case for a fruit pie, you can paint the pastry with melted apricot jam instead of lining it with paper and using beans. This not only adds flavor, it helps to give your pastry a crisper finish – something not easily achieved when there is a lot of liquid in the fruit.
End of sidebar
Bake the pastry in this fashion for about 10 minutes at 200°C. Then carefully remove the beans and baking sheet and return the pastry to the oven for a further ten minutes. It’s now ready for your favorite filling.
Is this an easy thing to do? Yes. Once you are confident that it is going to work for you. Be brave!
