Make your own, Indian flavouring Pastes .
Make these essential Indian pastes at home. To make you a master of the curry.
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Make your own, – Easy Chaat Masala and Tandoori Spice Blends
Make your own Chaat masala and Tandoori spice easily at home. Have the flavours of the Indian restaurant ready to use.
Make your own Garam Masala.
Understanding Spices – – – – – How to toast whole spices
There is something quite satisfying in preparing you own Indian Garam Masala. Yes, you can buy the blend ready to use and save yourself the work. But the ability to create something unique and the satisfaction when your guests ask for the recipe cannot be missed. Garam Masala simply means hot (garam) spice blend (masala) the term given to a spice blend use in many Indian dishes. The spice can be used at the start of cooking but is also used to finish off a dish providing a rich aroma as it is served.
Now, I know you’re thinking it’s too much trouble to make your own, but believe me it’s worth it. If you are a coffee enthusiast you may have your favourite roasted beans freshly ground. You then can make a great cup of coffee to savoury with a rich aroma and deep lingering flavour. On the other hand you could just have a cup of instant coffee, but where’s the pleasure in that.
That’s a bit like dealing with spices, quality ingredients, well prepared will always give you the best results.
Before you dive in have a plan as to which blends you plan to make, and what dishes you want to cook. It’s easy to get carried away and have a cupboard full of spices you are struggling to use. Whole spices will give you the best flavour and toasting and grinding the spices is one of my favourite jobs in the kitchen.
Make sure your spices are fresh and you have a suitable container such as an Indian spice box.
If you live in a city visit one of the many Indian grocery stores about. They have the freshest ingredients often at good prices. If like me that’s quite a hike, Amazon carry a good selection or for the unusual try Sous Chef for worldwide ingredients and equipment.
Understanding Spices
I can’t claim the following to be perfectly correct, if you are an Indian cook and have a different take on this, I would welcome comments. But this is the way I categorise my spices which dictates how, and in what order I use them.
I split spices into two basic categories, Seeds and Non-Seeds, let me explain. Spices like cumin, coriander, fennel, cardamom, mustard, are of course all seeds which contain flavouring oils which need to be heated to release their full flavour.
Other spices are not seeds: –
Cinnamon and Cassia is tree bark.
Nutmeg or Mace is the nut and its coating.
Chilli powder and paprika are from peppers and chillies.
Turmeric is the fresh or dried plant root.
Peppercorns are dried berries.
Cloves are dried flower buds.
Amchoor is dried, powdered unripe mango.
And we could go on. So, the key here is to understand which spices you are dealing with and treat them accordingly.
I always start with the seed-based spices which need more heat and follow on with the non-seed spices later and watch your cooking temperature.
How to Toast Whole Spices.
Toasting the whole spices releases and improves the flavour and this is often where a spice blend or dish can be spoilt before the cooking has even begun. The chosen spices need to be gently heated though over a medium heat and lightly toasted. Not blasted into a red-hot pan, to become burnt and bitter.
Some time ago a Chef friend of mine Tony Sing appeared in a television series with the great Cyrus Todiwala OBE, quite a match! Well worth a watch if you can find it on catch up television.. When I bumped into him, I commented on well he had explained the toasting of spices on the programme. He was surprised and couldn’t think what I meant. “You tossed the spices with your fingers” I said. That was quite clever and illustrated how not to burn them, the spices, not his fingers. He admitted he hadn’t done it intentionally, but it was just what he always did.
Now I’m not recommending you do the same. He had the skill of avoiding the base of the pan and ‘Chefs Fingers’ which over time get used to a certain level of heat.
To toast your spices correctly.
Use a pan wide enough for the spices to spread out and not be deeper than 4mm. place the pan over a medium heat and add the seed spices first. Using a heatproof spatula roll the spices around the pan turning them as you do so. After three to four minutes add the non-seeds. Five minutes cooking should be plenty and when ready you may see a very light haze, Not Smoke! rising with a rich scent of spice rewarding you for your effort. When ready tip the spices onto a metal tray to completely cool before grinding.
Garam Masala
Garam Masala translates into hot spice and is a spice blend used in small amounts to finish a dish or fried in the beginning of cooking to add flavour. It’s a deep powerful blend and needs to be used carefully to avoid overpowering should be added in small quantities or it will overpower the dish.
Confusion between Garam masala and Curry powder is common. Curry powder is just a general mix which normally includes turmeric, ground coriander, ground cumin, ground ginger, and black pepper. It originates from the British army returning from India and trying to achieve the same flavours they had experienced abroad. Garam masala, on the other hand is a sharper deeply complex flavour adding Coriander, Cardamom, Nutmeg, cumin seeds, and Cinnamon into the equation’s exact mix of spices will vary from region to region below is a basic recipe for you to make your own.
Ingredients
Makes about 5 1/2 tablespoons of spice mix
Stage 1
- 5 Green Cardamom Pods
2 Black Cardamom Pods - 4 tsp Cumin seeds
2 tsp Coriander seeds
1 tsp Fennel Seeds
Stage two
- 3 Whole Cloves
- 4 Blades of mace
4cm Cinnamon stick (broken down) - 2 Dried bay leaves
- 1/8 tsp Dried chilli flakes
½ tsp Black Peppercorns
Place all the spices in stage one into a frying pan heat over low to medium heat (see above. After about flour minutes as the aroma begins to be released add the spices in stage two.
Cook for about another two minutes then tip the spices onto a oven proof dish to cool.
To grind the mix my preference is for a classic mortar and pestle. It does take time and effort, but I find it very satisfying, It’s like aromatherapy and stress relief all in one.
Alternatively, a small electric coffee grinder will do a great job. But it needs to be a dedicated grinder just for spices or you may get a shock at breakfast.
Whichever way you do it don’t grind too much at once and store the finished blend in an airtight container. Make sure you seal the container well after each use. It should keep well for a few weeks.
Now that wasn’t too bad was it? Our next blogs will give you more spice blends to make along with flavouring pastes to make and freeze. With that done bring on the currys !
Enjoy life!
John.
Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.
Join us to experience the beauty of the west coast, cook some great food and be at ease in the kitchen.
If you enjoyed your visit with us, please subscribe up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at The Westcoaster. Subscribe Here
©John Webber. 2023
HOW TO MAKE INDIAN ONION PASTES
The making of Indian onion pastes. Often used in restaurants to enrich and thicken a curry. Easy to make at home and give your curries a professional finish.
My Christmas Ultimate Chestnut Stuffing
Learn how to make our own ultimate chestnut stuffing in time for Christmas. Make it now and freeze it ready for the big day.
Cranberry and Whisky Luxury Christmas Mince Pies.
The festive period looms and it’s time to begin thinking about my Christmas Mince Pies and organising things to make the period as enjoyable and stress free as possible. And it’s particularly time for me to think about this year’s cranberry and whisky luxury mince pies. A bit of Christmas luxury perfect for entertaining with friends or as an indulgent treat. I need to get moving as our village craft fair takes place in a couple of weeks and a few of us chip in to provide treats and man the cake stall.
This is a rich cooked mincemeat for Christmas. It was first developed for a project in manufacturing mince pies for a butcher friend of mine some time ago. We made just over 250 and as I remember, and they all sold. At that time, we were also developing a range or real sausages and charcutier. I’ll cover some of this next year along with some smoked and BBQ items.
Mince pies of old.
Originally the mincemeat of old actually contained real meat. The spices and flavourings were used to conceal the slightly ‘off’ nature of the leftover cooked meat before any form of cold storage existed. Today the only remaining nod to this is suet in the mincemeat mix.
While most of this is now vegetable based rather than beef it can still leave a greasy finish in the mouth if its overdone. This recipe uses butter in place of the suet to give a richer, smoother mouth feel to the filling. Heating the dried fruits in orange juice gives the fruit a chance to rehydrate, become tender and take on the flavour of the spices.
Cranberry and whisky Mincemeat
Makes 30 -40 small pies
120g unsalted butter
Finely grated zest of a large orange
250ml orange juice
255g soft light brown sugar
2 ½ tsp mixed spice
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt
140g grated bramley apples
70g chopped walnuts or pecans
130g sultanas
130g raisins
100g dried cranberries
60g mixed peel
50ml blended whisky
Making the mincemeat
Take a large enough pan to take all the ingredients and be able to give the pan good mix together without losing any over the sides. Add all the dried fruit to the pan together with the spices, and salt.
Using a very fine grater remove the zest of the orange then remove the juice and make it up to 250ml using more fruit if needed. Add the juice and zest to the pan and bring to the simmer.
While the fruit is cooking, wash and coarsely grate the apple there’s no need to peel the fruit. Once the pan has been simmering for about five minutes add the apple, chopped nuts, and sugar to the pan.
Give everything a really good mix and simmer for another 10 to 12 minutes. The aromas of Christmas should now be filling the kitchen. We need to evaporate most of the orange juice into the dried fruits. To check if everything is ready pull the flat base of a silicone spatula across the base of the pan. If the gap fills with liquid immediately let the pan cook a little longer. When ready, lift the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool down until just warm.
Adding the butter.
Pop the butter into a small saucepan and place on the heat. Bring the butter to the boil and let it simmer for a minute or two. Skim off any scum that appears on the surface of the butter. Remove the pan from the heat and let the butter stand to sperate out the fat from the milky whey.
Once the butter has cooled but is not solidifying, remove any remaining scum and begin to decant the clear butterfat into the pan mixing it in as you do so. Use a small sieve if you have one, to catch any remaining scum. Make sure you fold the butter in well getting right down to bottom of the pan and lifting the mixture up so all the ingredients are coated in the butter.
Let the pan cool completely stirring from time to time. We need to insure the butter in mixed evenly through the mincemeat. If the mix is too warm or not folded in completely the butter fat will simply float to the surface on the mincemeat.
Stir in the whisky remembering to inhale as you do so, then transfer the mincemeat to a clean sterilised preserving jars or suitable container. 2 x ½ lt Kilner jars should be plenty. Cover the surface of the mincemeat with a disc of greaseproof paper, seal the lid. Place the jars into the fridge for at least a week to mature before making the pies.
If you wish the pastry can be made at the same time and frozen until needed.
Cinnamon sugar
80g caster sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
Take a small container with a tight-fitting lid. Add the sugar and cinnamon, pop on the lid and shake well. Store in a cool dry place until needed.
For the pastry
500g plain flour
125g butter
125g lard
Pinch salt
50g caster sugar
¾ tsp baking powder
125ml icy cold water
Cinnamon sugar to dust over
Makes roughly 15-20 small pies
Oven temperature 180˚c – 185˚c
Cooking time 14 to 17 minutes
This is almost a savoury pastry which might seem a little strange to some of you. The filling is packed with sugar, spices and fruit and wrapping this in a sweet pastry would just be overkill. We are also using a mixture of lard and butter for the fat content and baking powder in the dough wish will produce a very flaky light pastry. Go to the Food Files and have a look at Getting to Grips with Pastry to get an insight into pastry making.
Dice the lard and butter then return to the fridge to firm up
Rubbing in the fat.
Place all the dry ingredients into a cold bowl the add the butter and lard. Cut the fats into the flour using a pastry knife and blend until a fine breadcrumb stage appears. Have a scraper on hand to clear the knife from time to time and make the process as easy as possible. When your mixture is ready add the water in two or three batches mixing each one in before adding the next.
Tip the contents of the bowl out onto the work surface and bring together to a pliable smooth dough. Keep everything cool and take care not to over work the dough. Only use the water you need to get the right consistency.
You can of course use a tabletop mixer you can make this pastry by hand. It does take some time to get the flour and fat to a breadcrumb stage and I think making it by hand with a pastry knife gives the best results as its less likely to be overworked.
Whatever way you make the pastry it must rest in the fridge for 1-2 hours. So simple cover in cling film and refrigerate.
When you are ready to make the mince pies remove the mincemeat from the fridge and stir in a bit more whisky if you wish.
lining the tins.
When the pastry is thoroughly rested divide the dough into 4 pieces. Lightly flour your work surface and roll the pastry out to around 3-4mm thick. Using a fluted pastry cutter, a bit larger than the moulds you are using, (small Yorkshire pudding tins are perfect) cut out and line the moulds rings, fill with your mincemeat, and cut another disc as a lid and lay it on top of the mincemeat tucking in the edges. Using the point of a knife make a small cross in the centre of each lid to allow stream to escape.
Baking.
Sprinkle the lids with a pinch of cinnamon sugar and bake in a 185˚c (fan oven) 210˚c (conventional oven) for roughly 14-17 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let stand for five minutes then lift from the baking tray and sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar, let them cool a little more before serving as the filling will be too hot to eat.
If making the pies in advance warm gently before serving to get the best flavour and texture. You can be traditional and serve with brandy butter if you wish, but I prefer a dollop of creme’ fraiche on top.
Enjoy Life!
John.
Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.
Join us to experience the beauty of the west coast, cook some great food and be at ease in the kitchen.
If you enjoyed your visit with us, please subscribe up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at The Westcoaster. Subscribe Here
©John Webber. 2023
A Quick Kale, Egg, and Bacon Supper.
A quick kale, egg, and bacon supper for the chilli Autumn – Winter nights. And learn to master the skill of poaching an egg.
Blind Baking Made Easy, perfect results every time.
Blind baking made easy. make you own tarts and pies at home without fuss.
Pear and Blueberry Frangipane Tart with the best custard sauce.
Pear and Blueberry Frangipane Tart. Taking things on from our Blind Baking Post. I am making the best use of some of the fruit from the garden, pears, and blueberries. Well to be honest the pears would have been from the garden but for our local contingent of deer. I had no idea they would take a liking to the pears, and there wasn’t a great deal there in the first place. Thankfully, the berries have done well this year and to – date they are still intact.
There is quite a lot to do here, but do give it a try. Not only is is a great Autumn dessert served warm with fresh vanilla custard but it also takes you through some classic skills essential to master tp produce great puddings and desserts.
Alternative Thinking.
Over the course of these blogs one of the things I would like to do is encourage you to look on recipes in a different way this will expand your thinking and simplify your cooking.
The first one of these is Ratio’s. Most baking recipes are simple a ratio of ingredients which of course dictates how they will react with each other and give us the result we require.
Frangipane uses one of the easiest ones to remember been equal quantities of butter, sugar, eggs, and ground almonds. Flour can also added according to way the mix is to be used and the finished texture you require. For this recipe I have chosen not to use any flour. This will give me a softer texture, almost pudding like which I like to compliment the fruit. If you would like the tart to cut cleanly and have a stiffer texture add the flour along with the almonds in the recipe.
Real custard.
The custard recipe is simple for each 100ml of liquid we need 1 egg yolk and 15g of caster sugar. You can then flavour the custard as wished but I am going for the classic vanilla using fresh vanilla pods. Other flavours that work well with this are, cinnamon, orange or cardamon.
You will be surprised how often a basic ratio appears in cooking. Once you have remembered the appropriate amounts and basic techniques the recipe almost becomes redundant. But let’s get cooking!
Pear and Blueberry Frangipane Tart.
Frangipane, often known as almond cream is a classic component of any pastry kitchen. I believe its invention is attributed to an Italian Marquis, Muzio Flangipani, I cannot guarantee that is the case but whatever its origins this type of paste can be found in dishes across Europe and of course our own Bakewell tart.
Pear and Blueberry Frangipane Tart. Serves 8
1 blind baked 23cm x 3cm tart case (not too dark a bake)
85g blueberries
4 small poached or tinned pears
1 recipe almond cream
Oven temp 165˚c
Cooking time 45 mins
Almond cream – (Frangipane)
155g unsalted butter
155g caster sugar
155g ground almonds
3 med eggs (cracked into a jug and whisked smooth)
½ tsp Vanilla essence
35g plain flour (optional)
If you are baking your tart shell at the same time, use the cooking time to organise your ingredients and make sure everything is at room temperature, particularly the eggs. My store cupboard was a quite cool, so I placed the sugar in the warmth of the top oven while the tart shell baked in the oven below. Remember to make sure your mixing bowl is not cold as well, aim for blood heat.
A food mixer makes this much easier but it can be made by hand, with a bit of elbow grease!
Making the almond cream (Frangipane).
Take the eggs and break them into a jug then whisk well. Adding the eggs one by one as most recipes will require you to do can lead to the mix separating. Add the soft butter and sugar to the bowl and cream together until light and fluffy. Now begin to add the egg slowly beating it in as you go. Some recipes will tell you to add the almonds first, this is a bit of insurance against separating but makes the mix heavier. If you’re a bit nervous add a good pinch of almonds before the egg. Once all the egg is added fold in the almonds followed by the flour.
If at any time in the process the mix begins to look a little separated, stop adding any more ingredients and very gently warm the bowl in a little warm water. Gently fold the mix together and it should become smooth again. You can then proceed to finish the mix. Don’t whatever you do apply a lot of heat, if the butter begins to melt all will be lost. Carefully fold the blueberries into the mix then cover the bowl until the shell is ready.
When the tart shell has cooled down remove any pastry overlap if present and spoon the mix into the shell. Using the back of a spoon or small pallet knife level off the filling.
Lift each pear half from the syrup and drain well. Using a small sharp knife we are going to make cuts across the fruit from tip to the base of the fruit and all the way though.
Repeat these cuts on each of the pear halves. Then by pressing down lightly on the the fruit the slices will slide apart and form a fan. Place each pear half equally distant on top of the filling.
Baking the tart.
You are now ready to bake the tart. Have the oven pre-heated to 180˚c. place the tart into the centre of the oven then immediately turn the oven down to 165˚c and bake for about 45 minutes. Its not bad idea to rotate the tart in the oven after 25 minutes, but don’t leave the oven door open too long or the filling will sink. Don’t worry about the pears sinking into the filling. They are supposed to do that, if you have used flour in the filling they don’t sink down quite as much.
To test if the tart is cooked the best option is to use a probe thermometer and check the temperature of the centre of the tart. A reading of 95˚c will guarantee it ready. You can of course pop in a skewer, but the problem is the tart will be soft even when cooked. A light press in the centre of the tart should feel a little soft but without any suggestion of liquid.
If ready lift the tart onto a cooling wire and let cool down. Its nice to serve the tart just warm but if its too hot it can be a little stodgy.
Plenty of time now to make the custard or Crème Anglaise if you’re posh.
Fresh Egg Custard
Makes about 330ml
150ml Double Cream
150ml Full Fat Milk
1 Vanilla Pod split
25g Caster Sugar
3 Egg Yolks
For this we are using a half and half mixture of double cream and milk. Put the liquids into a pan where you can easily access the edges. Aim for a liquid depth of about 3-4cm. bring the pan up to a simmer then split the vanilla pod and scrape out the seeds, adding both to the pan. Remove to the side of the stove and leave for 5 mins to extract the full flavour of vanilla into the milk and cream.
The best tool for cooking the custard is a heatproof silicone spatula. Been flexible it cleans the sides and bottom of the pan helping to prevent the custard curdling or burning. I would always use a probe thermometer to know when the custard is ready. Chefs can tell by the texture of the custard. They do it every day and even than sometimes get it wrong. Too much heat and the yolks cook hard and separate from the liquid. You will have sweet, scrambled egg! Have a clean bowl and sieve ready to receive the cooked custard.
Separate the egg yolks and sugar into a stainless or pirex bowl and beat well with a wire balloon whisk, the sugar should melt into the egg yolks and produce a thick fluffy mixture. Don’t throw the white away, put then into a clean container and freeze them for a future meringue or souffle.
Slowly pour the hot cream on top of the egg and sugar mixture mixing continually
Return the mixture into the pan and place on the heat stir carefully with the spatula Work backwards and forwards covering the whole base of the pan, then run the spatula around the edge.
Cook the mixture until it starts to thicken on the back of the spoon then begin to test the temperature. Take care not to touch the sides or bottom of the pan with the probe and produce a false reading. We need a temperature of 82˚c to have cooked the custard and produce a nice coating consistency.
When it’s ready immediately strain the mixture through the sieve into the cold bowl to stop it overcooking in the hot pan.
Cover the bowl with cling film to avoid a skin forming and place to cool ready for use. Refridgerate if you have made the custard well beforehand.
Serving.
The tart can be returned to a warm oven if it has completely cooled down. it’s no problem to make the tart in the afternoon, for use in the evening. Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge, but it does make it a little heavier in texture.
To reheat pre-made custard sit the bowl in a pan of warm but not anywhere near boiling water, Stir the bowl to lift the custard from top to bottom until warm though. Do not allow the bowl to get too hot or all your hard work will be lost.
When you are ready to serve slice the just warm tart into wedges by cutting between the pears. dust with icing sugar and place onto warm plates with a generous amount of warm fresh custard. Then tuck in!
Enjoy life!
John.
Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.
Join us to experience the beauty of the west coast, cook some great food and be at ease in the kitchen.
If you enjoyed your visit with us, please subscribe up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at The Westcoaster. Subscribe Here
©John Webber. 2023
Fantastic Garlic and Chefs Secrets – Oils
Time to get planting next years garlic crop ready for the Spring. Also learn how to make a Chefs Secret – chive oil.
It’s that Courgette and Tomato Chutney, time of year!
Autumn is chutney time, from the garden into the kitchen for fabulous flavours. Our Courgette and Tomato Chutney Preserves the flavours of the summer through the cold winter months
Getting to Grips with Pastry
It’s not as hard as you think
Getting to grips with pastry can be a joy or a nightmare. But with a little confidence and a sprinkling of technique the whole process becomes easy and will allow you to make more interesting and enjoyable pastries and desserts. This blog provides you with my favourite recipes for basic sweet and short pastry. Do look up the Food Files page Demystifying Perfect Pastry for a greater insight into the craft.
The best sweet pastry
This recipe was given to me many years ago by Nico Ladenis, a big bear of a man, daunting to work for but with kind heart. This dates back to his restaurant in Pimlico London. He didn’t suffer fools gladly and was known for asking guest to leave. I have used this recipe ever since, and never had need to change it and use it for most sweet blind baked tarts. It freezes well so while you can reduce the quantities given, its best to make the full recipe and freeze it until needed. If fact it impossible to work with it until it is well chilled. Ideally overnight.
This is referred to as sable pastry, a light slightly sandy pastry not dissimilar to shortbread that produces a crisp tart shell that will hold its shape without been tough. Anything you have leftover, make into biscuits, great with morning coffee.
Sable Pastry
Ingredients, enough to line 4 x 23cm tart shells (3 if your not too hot with the rolling pin).
250g good quality unsalted butter
250g icing sugar
4 large eggs – beaten in a jug
3-5 tbsp double cream
650g plain flour
Pinch salt
I always make this in a food processor, but it’s not essential, you can use a food mixer or even do it by hand but it’s a lot of work. One crucial thing, make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature. Get everything out well ahead and if the room is cold warm everything near a radiator for a while.
The creaming process.
This is made by the creaming method not unlike some cake mixes. Pop the soft butter into the machine then sieve the icing sugar over the butter. Turn on the machine and process to a smooth buttercream, pulse control is best.
Slowly start adding the egg in a steady stream, if you see the mix beginning to look curdled stop adding egg. This is a sure sign that the mix is too cool and the butter is separating out.
If this happens slightly warm the mix by standing the bowl in some warm water. Don’t overdo it or you will have a butter milkshake.
When all the egg is added, work in 3tbs of the cream then add all the flour in one go and mix in using the pulse control again. Don’t overwork the pastry the last bit of flour is best worked in with a spatula once you have removed the blade from the bowl. If you are having trouble combining it all together add a little more cream.
The mix will be very soft and impossible to work with at this point. Ideally portion out the dough into the amount you will use at one time I make 4 x 350g balls of dough to line a 23cm x 3.25cm flan tins. If you’re not too hot with the rolling pin just break the dough into 3 equal parts.
Basic shortcrust pastry
A great everyday pastry for savoury bakes
To make roughly 350g of pastry
225 unsalted butter
100g plain flour
Pinch table salt
2-3 tbsp very cold water
For savoury pies try using 110g butter with 110 lard to give a crisper finish.
In contrast to the sweet pastry recipes the most important thing here is to keep everything as cold as possible. As luck would have it on the day, I chose to cover the making of the pastry it was quite warm. To combat this, I diced the butter then returned it to the fridge and put the mixing bowl into the fridge to chill before starting.
Rubbing in.
Weigh the flour into a bowl and place the diced cold butter and salt on top. Using the tips of the fingers rub the butter into the flour until you have a fine breadcrumb texture. If your not overly nimble fingered using a pastry knife will both speed up and keep things cool, improving your pastry.
Make a well in the mix and add the water. Don’t add it all at once, leave a little behind, the exact amount of water will depend on the flour you are using and the whey content of the butter. if you are using lard you will need a dash more but may not need it all, it possible a dash more is required. Form a ball of about 5 cm in diameter. Wrap the dough and refrigerate or freeze until needed.
Make now, use later.
Give both of these a try, it’s well worth having some in the freezer. having the pastry ready made will encourage you to try out more recipes and it’s so much better that the bought in versions. i will add more pastry recipes and techniques in later blogs lots more baking to come so don’t forget to subscribe for regular blog updates.
Enjoy Life !
John.
Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.
Join us to experience the beauty of the west coast, cook some great food and be at ease in the kitchen.
If you enjoyed your visit with us, please subscribe up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at The Westcoaster. Subscribe Here
©John Webber. 2023
Welcome to the Westcoaster.
Hi, welcome to ‘The Westcoaster’ our food and lifestyle blog by John Webber. Our mission is simple – one to excite and encourage people to produce good fresh food. Secondly to promote the virtues of costal countryside living,