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Pastry
xxtimbo
15-12-2010
Anyone give advice on making a pastry
easily without fuss and mess.
ingredients.... quantities... method etc
Just a basic pastry for meat pies and
maybe fruit pies.

I dont fancy all the rubbing in and pastry covered hands my mother used to have.

Ive got a magimix food processor
whackyracer
15-12-2010
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/videos/10...rtcrust-pastry
john176bramley
15-12-2010
I think the Jus-Rol method is the easiest.
burton07
15-12-2010
Originally Posted by xxtimbo:
“Anyone give advice on making a pastry
easily without fuss and mess.
ingredients.... quantities... method etc
Just a basic pastry for meat pies and
maybe fruit pies.

I dont fancy all the rubbing in and pastry covered hands my mother used to have.

Ive got a magimix food processor”

I've got a tool for blending the fat and flour. It's a metal thing and you just kinda plunge it in and out of the flour and fat and it mixes it perfectly. I then add the cold water and mix with a knife till it's all blended in.

Use half fat to flour, say 8 oz plain flour, pinch salt, 4 oz margarine (or half marg and half lard or white fat) and two tablespoons cold water.
xxtimbo
15-12-2010
thanks for those tips.

If I made it in bulk would it be ok to put
the raw pastry mix in the freezer ?
and for how long would it last in there ?
HALibutt
15-12-2010
I've always used the shortcust pastry recipe I found in Linda McCartney's recipe book.

It can also be made in the food processor - and I've made it both ways.

Just let me know if you want the details - tis REALLY simple!
Elanor
15-12-2010
I throw everything in the food processor and whizz it til it's smooth. I often freeze it too, works fine.

My mother's sweet pastry recipe is my favourite ever, love it for mince pies:
250g plain flour
25g (I often up this a bit and decrease flour accordingly) ground almonds
150g butter
75g icing sugar
grated rind half lemon
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons milk
xxtimbo
15-12-2010
quote
Just let me know if you want the details - tis REALLY simple! end quote

Halibut, stop teasing us ...... !
xxtimbo
15-12-2010
Its really, I see in the shops all the boring old pies..... minced beef... steak and kidney,
cornish pasty etc.
and I think.... I want to get a chicken curry and make pies out of that ....
I ll probably make 9 or so at a time.

Also , to economise, I ll bake them at the same time as an oven fish meal
( annoyingly there are only two steel shelves in the oven ... though there are slots for 4 ! )
to think, I could bake 36 pies at once ... if I had the shelves !
HALibutt
15-12-2010
Originally Posted by xxtimbo:
“quote
Just let me know if you want the details - tis REALLY simple!

Halibut, stop teasing us ...... !”

Just meant I'll have to dig out the book!

I use the recipe for my apple pie.
mirabelle
16-12-2010
mY MUM'S RECIPE IS double the amount of flour to fat. Melt fat in saucepan add flour. Done.

I have bought suet to make cornish pasties but I am yet to use it as know I'll get it wrong.
xxtimbo
16-12-2010
Halibut, you d frustrate the frustrated !
HALibutt
16-12-2010
Originally Posted by xxtimbo:
“Halibut, you d frustrate the frustrated !”

It has been said!

So you want it then?
HALibutt
16-12-2010
Am just kidding. OK, here goes. Here it is..........

EASY SHORTCRUST PASTRY
Makes 9 oz (275g)

3 oz (75g) margarine (or butter I suppose)
6 oz (175g) plain flour
large pinch fine sea salt
3 tbs cold water.

Put all ing in blender or food processor and blend until amalgamated and crumbly. Knead to a smooth dough on a floured board, then chill for at least 30 mins before using.

Alternatively, sift flour with salt into bowl, rub in marg, lifting mixture to incorporate as much air as poss. When mix resembles fine breadcrumbs, bind with the water. Knead as above.


In the same book there are recipes for flaky pastry, puff pastry and Austrian Shortcrust pastry (which includes egg yolk, lemon rind and ground almonds)
Good ole Linda McCartney!
HALibutt
16-12-2010
The one I always use for apple pie from the same book is for SWEETCRUST PASTRY
(makes 12 oz) 350 g


8 oz (250g) plain flour
4 oz (125g) margarine (or butter)
1 tbs caster sugar
3 tbs cold water

Sift flour into a large bowl and stir in the sugar.
Rub in the margarine lightly until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Bind with the water.
Knead lightly on a floured board until smooth.
Wrap and chill for at least 30 mins before rolling out.

The only change I make to this is to add the sugar after doing the rubbing in bit - as I don't like the feel of it!

&Obviously this one could also equally be made in the food processor as I have done that with it too.
Specktater
16-12-2010
Originally Posted by xxtimbo:
“thanks for those tips.

If I made it in bulk would it be ok to put
the raw pastry mix in the freezer ?
and for how long would it last in there ?”

Yep, you can freeze it at the crumb stage (leaves your options open for crumble or pastry) or the dough stage. It depends on the star rating of you freezer, but I'd happily leave it in my chest freezer for 3-6 months.
xxtimbo
16-12-2010
What looks nicer than pastries and pies.
There was a shop in a country village I used to stop in.
They had a counter full of pork pies, scotch eggs, roast chickens... cooked meats
they cooked in ovens at the back.
It all looked fantastic and the smell of cooking in the shop too.
The girls behind the counter probably were nt getting paid that much... but what a pleasure to work in such a place selling all that lovely grub.
Sadly I went back last year and the counter was gone... it had new owners ... the shelves full of tins..... those pastries and the smell of cooking gone forever !
xxtimbo
18-12-2010
I love pies and pastry ... just the look
of everything in a shop window...
But when you think of all the fat that goes into making pastry ... ! is it really healthy.

I want to make some tasty treats to have at lunch time perhaps twice a week Monday and Friday.
I want to make 10 or so at a time and put them in the freezer.

Maybe it would be a lot less trouble ( and healthier ) to put the chicken curry mix on a bed of rice and then put the 10 containers in the freezer.
Rice cant really compete with the taste and smell of pastry, but boiling a pan of rice is a lot less hassle !
whoever,hey
18-12-2010
timbo, your posts are really hard to read when you dont use paragraphs.

Talking about pastry being healthy or not, just use less. Nothing needs cutting out of a decent diet.
xxtimbo
09-02-2013
Originally Posted by burton07:
“I've got a tool for blending the fat and flour. It's a metal thing and you just kinda plunge it in and out of the flour and fat and it mixes it perfectly. I then add the cold water and mix with a knife till it's all blended in.

Use half fat to flour, say 8 oz plain flour, pinch salt, 4 oz margarine (or half marg and half lard or white fat) and two tablespoons cold water.”


Does that "metal thing " have a name ?
degsyhufc
09-02-2013
I would take a guess at it being a pastry blender
https://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=e...blender+&meta=
xxtimbo
09-02-2013
Would nt a mash potato tool do the job
just as well ?

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/prod...otato-mashers/
degsyhufc
09-02-2013
That would just squash the butter and not slice it. You'd be better off just using a knife.
xxtimbo
14-02-2013
its kind of marg then double the weight of flour, mix to two .

But did nt they used to use lard to make pastry ?
burton07
14-02-2013
Originally Posted by xxtimbo:
“its kind of marg then double the weight of flour, mix to two .

But did nt they used to use lard to make pastry ?”

If I'm making pastry for a savory pie, such as meat, I use half lard and half stork.
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