The Perfect Pantry

Frozen puff pastry (Recipe: asparagus and cheese tart)

I'm having fun updating some favorite posts from the archives, like this one, from the days when I didn't photograph the food I cooked. If you missed these posts the first time around, please enjoy them now. With photos and new links, too.

Pâte feuilletée.

POT FEH-YOU-TAY.

Just the thought of making something with such an elegant name scares the bedoodles out of me. If I hadn't watched Julia Child on television, smearing the butter and folding and turning and folding and turning again, making it all seem so utterly doable, I never would have tried to make puff pastry from scratch.

I did make it.

One time.

Then I discovered frozen puff pastry. Someone else does the smearing and folding and turning for you. Imagine that! Puff pastry any time, without devoting an entire day to making it.

Raisins (Recipe: spinach, golden raisin and parmesan tart)

 

Guest post and photos by Peter in Brazil, chef and co-owner of Pousada do Capão

Raisins were an integral ingredient in my New England culinary upbringing. The California Sun Maid was a pantry icon, on a par with the original 1950’s versions of Vermont Maid, Betty Crocker, the Campbell's twins, Uncle Ben, and Aunt Jemima before their numerous plastic surgeries.

The brown bread that accompanied our favorite hot dogs and beans on Saturday night (i.e., bath night) had to have raisins. My father always threw a handful into the breakfast cream of wheat. Hermits weren’t hermits unless studded with those plump, sweet beauties. And nothing was better than snacking right from the box.

In my innocence, though, I knew nothing of the exotic pleasures of golden raisins.

Discos (Recipe: goat cheese-olive empanadas)

I'm ready to sell our little log house, and move back to the city.

I'm ready to give up my herb garden, the one right outside the kitchen door.

I'm ready to say goodbye to my wonderful kitchen with -- finally -- enough counter space, and to the fire pit Ted built so we could cook paella and toast marshmallows for s'mores.

I'm ready to live without my beloved screened porch, the site of winter grilling and summer aioli-making, with a table that seats 12, or 14, or sometimes 16.

I'm ready to give it all up, to live closer to a supermarket that carries Goya frozen foods.

Not even all Goya foods.

Just one.

Discos.

Wait... you haven't tried them?

Neither had I, until Ted discovered discos one day at Foodie's, the best little market in Boston.

Just what they seem to be, discos are rounds of flaky pastry, ready to be turned into any variety of empanadas or tiny fruit-filled galettes or apple turnovers or savory pizzettas at a moment's notice.

Discos come in packs of 10, in white or yellow dough, each 5-inch 120-calorie pastry round separated by a piece of plastic wrap. Store discos in the freezer, and defrost at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before using. Or, cut open one side of the package and put in the microwave on defrost for 10 seconds at a time, just until you can separate the circles; then, let the dough sit at room temperature for 10 minutes or so and they are ready to handle.

Life doesn't get any easier than this.

GOAT CHEESE AND OLIVE EMPANADAS
Almost anything can go into an empanada! This filling makes 10.

1 package discos
1/3 cup pitted black olives, finely chopped
6 oz fresh soft goat cheese
1 garlic clove, crushed in a garlic press or mashed to a paste with coarse salt
1/2 tsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 egg beaten with 1 tsp water

Remove discos from the freezer and set on the countertop to soften. Meanwhile, mix olives, cheese, garlic, oil, salt and pepper to make the filling. In a small bowl, beat the egg and set aside.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a Silpat (silicone liner) or parchment paper. Place a small bowl of cold water on your work surface.

Set out one disco. Place a heaping Tbsp of filling in the center. Wet your finger and run it around the edge of the disco. Fold the dough over to make a half-moon shape. Press the edges to seal, then take a fork and press into the dough all around the folded edge. Place the empanada on the baking sheet. Make the remaining empanadas, then paint each with a bit of the egg wash.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 11 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Also in The Perfect Pantry:
Vegetable potstickers
Curried chicken wontons
Empanaditas
Asparagus gruyere tart
Double strawberry tartlets

Pie crust (Recipe: empanaditas)

When I was born, my parents took inventory.

Ten fingers. Ten toes. Eyes, ears, nose.

DNA. RNA. PIE.

Wait a second. PIE?

Right away, my parents sensed that something was missing -- the PIE gene, the one that governs the ability to bake fruit pies, cream pies, sweet or savory lattice-covered perfectly-crimped-edges pies.

After extensive testing, the diagnosis was confirmed; indeed, I lacked the pie gene. Oh, I could make a tasty enough filling, but when it came to marrying filling to pastry, I couldn't quite pull it together. I'd always forget an ingredient, or my pie would look great, but the bottom disintegrated. Or the filling escaped from a hole I didn't create.

For years I suffered the indignity of never being asked to bring dessert to a party or potluck. And when I entertained, I would pooh-pooh pie, telling my guests that I just wasn't in the mood to bake, or that I really preferred ice cream or a fruit salad.

And then, in the refrigerator aisle of my local market, right next to Paul Newman's lemonade, I found help for my affliction. Pie crust, ready to unroll and bake!

Could it be that simple? Yes, it could.

Refrigerated pie crust does have a down side; it contains saturated fat that comes from partially hydrogenated lard, as well as both yellow and red food dyes, to which some people are allergic.

On the up side, it's easy to use, delicious, flaky, and freezeable either before or after baking, for up to two months.

From quiche to crostata, cherry tarts to chicken pot pie to chocolate fudge pie, refrigerated pie crust makes it easy to turn the everyday into something elegant.

EMPANADITAS
Great for entertaining; make these ahead of time and freeze, uncooked, in layers separated by wax paper. No need to defrost before baking. [Note: you will have half of the picadillo filling left over. Freeze it for future use, or make a quick lunch of quesadillas with picadillo and cheese filling tomorrow.] Makes 20-24.

1 package Pillsbury ready-made pie dough (2 crusts)
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
1 large green bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb extra lean ground beef
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup sliced, stuffed green olives
1/4 cup raisins
1 Tbsp capers
2 Tbsp white vinegar
1/4 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 egg (for egg wash prior to baking)

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Sauté onion and green pepper until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes more. Add the beef and break it up well. Stir in the remaining ingredients, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes or until a good, thick consistency.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Roll out dough to 1/8-inch thick, and cut with a 3-inch cookie cutter or empty can. Place a teaspoon of filling in the center of each round. Paint the edges of the pastry with water, and fold the round in half. Seal with the tines of a fork. Place on a nonstick baking sheet (or Silpat, or parchment paper, on a regular baking sheet). Brush with egg wash (one egg beaten with one Tbsp water). Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Sweet potato pie
Not-just-for-Thanksgiving pumpkin pie
Chocolate outrageous pie
Apple tart for non-bakers
Old fashioned apple pie

Photo from our archives.

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Menu for Hope. Three days left -- and already we've raised more than $33,000 for the UN World Food Program!

For each $10 donation you can earn one virtual raffle ticket good for hundreds of food-related prizes including autographed cookbooks, cooking classes, gourmet foods, restaurant gift certificates, and our own terrific prize, offered with Rhode Island Market Tours:

Item #UE12. Two tickets to SHOPPING FEDERAL HILL: AN INSIDER'S FOOD TOUR, a three-hour walking tour of Providence, Rhode Island's, most famous Italian food neighborhood. Taste your way through "The Hill" as Cindy Salvato, an executive pastry chef and cooking instructor, takes you behind the scenes and into market and bakery kitchens, sampling bread, cheese, antipasto and vino along the way. Good for any scheduled tour before December 31, 2008 (tours run on Saturdays and some weekdays, throughout the year); tickets are transferable but not refundable. This $90 value can be yours for $10 (hint, hint: the more tickets you buy, the more chances you have to win).

This walking tour is great fun -- and what better way to learn what should be in your own perfect pantry?! Cindy tells you which is the best pasta, which store has the best Parmigiano-Reggiano, where to buy the best pannetone, who has the prosciutto to die for. It's real insider stuff!

See the list of fabulous prizes here, then buy your raffle tickets here.

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Bake. Decorate. Donate. It's a simple idea. Bake some cookies. Invite friends, family, co-workers, or neighbors to help decorate. Donate your cookies to a local agency serving people in need, and "give back" while having fun. 

Planning a Drop In & Decorate event? Please let me know (lydia AT ninecooks DOT com) so we can share the fun.

To learn more about Drop In & Decorate Cookies for Donation, including how to host your own party, visit www.ninecooks.com; then stop in at A Veggie Venture, 37 Days, Culinary Types, Nikas Culinaria, Homesick Texan, Food Blogga, The Inadvertent Gardener, Jaden's Steamy Kitchen, La Mia Cucina, One Hot Stove, The Cooking Adventures of Chef Paz, French Kitchen in America, Veronica's Test Kitchen, Kelly the Culinarian, shawnkenney.com, Thyme for Cooking: The Blog, Chew on That, Nook & Pantry, Cookthink, Tea & Cookies, Mele Cotte, Cream Puffs in Venice, startcooking.com, Shazam in the Kitchen, The Family Quilt, The Daily Tiffin, Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy, The Budget Bambino, Baking and Books, What's for Lunch, Honey?, The Pink Hobart and Fun and Food.

Thank you, Slashfood and BlogHer. Thank you, Chow.com and Goodyblog and Woman's Day.

"Thank you and all your elves, helpers, cookers, decorators, delivery people…EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!! who took part in your 6th Annual Drop In and Decorate!! The cookies are awesome, as usual, I tried to look at all the different ones (I only ate one!!) You didn’t bring any broken ones so I HAD too!  So many different ones this year; so creative! I really, really appreciate all the kind thoughts and special efforts everyone goes to for this holiday “cookie treat” to be such a wonderful success!" Nancy Johnston, Director of the Foster (RI) Food Pantry

Frozen puff pastry (Recipe: asparagus gruyere tart)

Pâte feuilletée.

POT FEH-YOU-TAY.

Just the thought of making something with such an elegant name scares the bedoodles out of me. If I hadn't watched Julia Child on television, smearing the butter and folding and turning and folding and turning again, making it all seem so utterly doable, I never would have tried to make puff pastry from scratch.

I did make it.

One time.

Then I discovered frozen puff pastry. Someone else does the smearing and folding and turning for you. Imagine that! Puff pastry any time, without devoting an entire day to making it.

What makes puff pastry puff are the many layers of blobs of butter sandwiched in between layers of dough that, when baked, rise to several times their original height without any yeast or leavening. When heated, the butter in the dough melts, causing the layers to separate. The water in the butter turns to steam, puffing up the pastry with air bubbles that become trapped to form air pockets. In the classical pâte feuilletée recipe, made by folding and turning the dough six times, the finished dough has close to 1500 layers of butter and flour.

The two most available brands of frozen puff pastry are definitely not alike. Dufours, sometimes available at Whole Foods markets, is made with all butter; Pepperidge Farm, always in the freezer case of my local supermarket, contains no butter. Yes, Dufours tastes better, and rises higher when baked. It's also twice as expensive, and much harder to find, than Pepperidge Farm.

To thaw, remove as many pastry sheets as needed (wrap unused sheets in plastic wrap or foil and return them to the freezer) and thaw in the refrigerator (approximately 4 hours per sheet), which ensures that the pastry will thaw evenly. If you're in a hurry, separate the pastry sheets and thaw at room temperature for 30-45 minutes.

Puff pastry makes wonderful savory dishes as well as beautiful sweet desserts. And, as in the recipe below, it can turn the ordinary into something truly elegant, as befits the name pâte feuilletée.

ASPARAGUS GRUYERE TART
From Great Food Fast, the great little cookbook from the kitchens of Martha Stewart Living. Try to find asparagus of uniform width. Makes one tart that serves 4-6 people for lunch, with a side salad or bowl of soup.

1 sheet frozen puff pastry
2 cups (approx. 5-1/2 oz) gruyere, Emmental or swiss cheese, shredded
1-1/2 pounds medium asparagus
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F. On a floured surface, roll pastry into a 16 x 10 inch rectangle. Trim uneven edges. Place the pastry on a baking sheet. With a sharp knife score the dough 1 inch in from the edges to mark a rectangle. Using a fork, pierce the dough inside the markings at half-inch intervals. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes.

Remove the pastry shell from the oven, and sprinkle with cheese. Trim the bottoms of the asparagus spears to fit crosswise inside the tart shell; arrange in a single layer over the cheese, alternating ends and tips. Brush with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake until spears are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.