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A word on readymade pastries
ОглавлениеSome pastries are simply too time consuming to make and sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day to make your own pastry, so for those occasions we turn to readymade pastries. Shortcrust wheat flour pastry is available in fresh and frozen forms, for sweet and savoury baking, in different flavours, and in block or ready rolled sheets. While this is my least favourite of the “readymades” (I’m not too keen on the flavour) it is a perfectly adequate compromise to making fresh. You do have to follow the guidelines on the packet though regarding using and resting times otherwise the pastry shrinks.
Readymade puff pastry is extremely popular and desirable with cooks and chefs alike; it really is a valuable substitute to the real thing. Available fresh, frozen, in blocks or ready rolled, mixed fat and all-butter, I have had no failures or disappointments using these products. Again read the guidelines given by the manufacturer for best results.
There are two other pastry types I use in this book which I have not attempted to make, and they are filo and brick. Both are extremely thin, wafer like, leaf pastries which cook to a fine crisp. They are typically used in Mediterranean, North African and Middle Eastern cookery. Filo pastry is now widely available in delicatessens, grocers’ shops or supermarkets in fresh or frozen forms. It is usually wrapped in clear film and packaged in a long box. Size of sheet varies, and I find the bigger sheets (around 38 x 37cm /15¾ x 12inch) easier to work with; if only smaller sheets are available, double up or overlap to give a bigger working area. Filo pastry dries out quickly, so keep unused sheets wrapped up or covered in damp kitchen paper. It is lower in fat than other pastries and is usually brushed with melted butter or oil before using in a pie in order to give a crisp finish; without the fat filo is rather dry and leathery once cooked – beaten egg can be used to crisp up pastry however for a lower fat alternative. Filo pastry pies are best eaten hot or warm when the pastry is still crisp.
Brick pastry is a more specialist pastry but worth tracking down. It is used in North African pastries. Also called feuilles de brick, brik, briouat and oarka, depending on where and how it is used. It comes in the form of wafer thin rounds or squares of pastry which can be baked or fried. Unlike filo it is not “greased” before using but still cooks to a delightful crisp. I have included a couple of recipes in my book which use this pastry to show you the techniques involved, but also give instructions for using filo pastry as an alternative.