Megan's Perfect Pasties

These are the best pasties you'll ever taste!
I am so thrilled to have made these. I adore bakery pasties and recently had a horrible experience of (not) eating a truly awful pastie from the local bakery in town. The pastry was lovely, but the filling was a hard lump  of something that tasted rather like cardboard.

For the pastry, make a batch of Rough Puff Pastry, using the method described here. Roll and turn about 6 times and then cut in half and refrigerate for half an hour or so.

If pushed for time, use ready rolled puff pastry. I prefer Pampas 25% Fat Reduced. It works a treat.


To make the filling:
250g lean beef mince
3 carrots
2 onions
1 turnip
½ to 1 parsnip
1 small potato
2 Tbsp rolled oats (soaks up liquid - thanks Judy!)
4 tsp beef stock powder
2 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
a few frozen peas
1 beaten egg for glazing.

I don't bother peeling the root vegetables. Just chop roughly.  Just make sure carrot is cut a little smaller than other vegies as it's harder.

Place mince, stock powder, peas and pepper into a large mixing bowl. Stir together.

To chop vegetables, place into food processor or Thermomix and chop on speed 5 for a couple of seconds at a time. Use the spatula to stir around and chop again if necessary. Add to mince with the remaining ingredients.

To make pasties:
Preheat oven to 200C. Line two trays with baking paper.
Roll out pastry and cut circles using a small side plate (I sometimes make smaller ones using my pie maker cutter).  Brush inside with beaten egg and place filling on one half, avoiding edges. Fold other half over and seal with finger crimping. Prick with a fork and place on baking tray.
Brush with beaten egg and bake for half an hour.
Remove from tray and place straight onto oven racks and bake for a further 10 minutes. If using bought puff pastry, there's no need to do this. I just bake until they're cooked and remove to a cake rack to cool.

 Filling the pastie

 Ready for the egg glaze and baking

 I used 3/4 of the pastry and made 10 pasties. The remaining pastry was made into 2 pastie sized apple turnovers, a croissant and some spirals with sugar on top.

Hints and Tips:
I now make snack sized pasties using the larger ring cutter from the electric pie maker - 12 cm diameter. I make 2 lots of pastry and cut into circles, laying each circle on a plate with baking paper in between (keep the baking paper in a plastic bag for next time).

If you make the filling a day or so before, place it in a colander over a bowl in the fridge. Just put a plate on top to stop it drying out. This will allow liquid to drain. Because there's salt in the mixture, it draws liquid from the meat and the vegetables.

My puff pastry making is now perfected and puffs up so much more than previously. Here's a photo of a recent batch.

Rough Puff Pastry

It's been a while since I've posted here. Skinflint business has been busy and, although I've been doing a lot of cooking still, I haven't had time to blog about it!

Today I wanted to make sausage rolls to put in the men's lunch boxes for seeding. I had a little of the Pampas 25% Fat Reduced Puff Pastry in the freezer, but have had it in my mind to make some Puff Pastry, so that's just what I did.

I've been looking at a recipe on this site for Rough Puff Pastry and I thought that this was the way to go.
I honestly didn't think it would be that great, I'm not a good pastry maker. But, I was in for a pleasant surprise - it was wonderful! Certainly not difficult, maybe a little time consuming, but still not terribly hard to do.

I wanted to use my Thermomix as my hands are way too hot to try to rub in butter without it melting. The key to making great pastry is to have everything really cold.  Checking the recipe in the EDC, it appears that you throw everything in to the Thermomix and use the dough setting.
So, that's just what I did (I put iceblocks in the water to chill it) and it turned out to be too much for the poor machine. So I tipped half of it out and just did it in two batches.
Edited some time later to add: I don't know that this makes much sense. Today I made this again and just made two lots, halving the recipe. I've reduced the water from the original recipe as 125ml of water is way too much. I also don't throw it all in at once anymore and have added lemon juice as it helps the pastry to puff.

So, this is the edited version:

Here's the method:

250g flour
250g cold butter, cut into chunks
110ml icy water
squeeze lemon juice

Weigh the flour and butter into the Thermomix bowl or food processor.  Chop on speed 4 for around 5 seconds.  Add the water and process on speed 4 until it comes together. If there is still a little ice, take speed up to 8 for a second. Tip on to well floured bench or silpat mat and press together, using the mat to bring the mass into a rectangle shape.

Roll pastry out to a long thick rectangle, about 10 x 20, short end facing you. Fold the top 1/3 down and the bottom 1/3 up to meet in the middle. Fold the bottom over the top. This is called a book fold. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes, longer in summer. (Putting it in the freezer is even better)
Place dough onto floured mat. Roll out again to make the rectangle shape, but this time 20 x 30cm.

Roll out again, keep flour on your bench all the time.  Try to keep the rectangle shape, push in the edges each time you do the book fold.

Repeat the above step three or four more times (refrigerating between to rest), constantly flouring the bench and the top of the pastry. Rest the pastry after the final roll for at least an hour, preferably overnight.
It should look like this with lots of layers.











When ready to cut shapes from pastry, roll out as evenly as possible, making it about 1mm thick, the same as ready rolled Puff Pastry.

Here's a few things I made with the pastry the very first time I made it. I've since perfected my pastry making and my pastry is a lot puffier these days.

Wow! Gobsmacked! Just like Puff Pastry!

On returning from the second trip to the farm, I cut the remainder of the piece into rectangles for Cream Matchsticks, my husband's favourite.

 Again! Amazing Puff Pastry!

So, since I originally started this in order to make sausage rolls, I thought I'd better do so!

I squished out the filling from 1 packet of  the wonderful butcher's sausages I buy from our local store into the Thermomix (a food processor would work). I then added 3 slices of bread, a large squirt of tomato sauce and some herbs from the garden - thyme, parsley and rosemary. Blitz for 30 seconds or so and use for sausage rolls.

I like to shape the filling and lay it on the pastry, so I wet my hands and take a large lump of sausage mine and roll it in my hands.

Bake sausage rolls at 200 for about 15 minutes. 

Yum!

Here's my most recent pastry that was used for snack sized pasties:

The pastry is golden and flaky and a stand out success. The pastie recipe is here

Enjoy!
Megan

Delicious Mayonnaise, Dijonnaise and Salad Dressings

There is absolutely no need to buy mayonnaise or salad dressings. Sure, the Thermomix makes mayonnaise making easy, but anyone can make it in a food processor too!

I make two sorts of mayo; one is a cooked one and the other a raw egg one. I only ever make the raw egg one when I have access to fresh farm eggs. I have a friend who regularly supplies me with happy chook's eggs and I exchange the kindness with soap. (Thanks Michaela) This time, I'll give her a jar of homemade mayonnaise.

Egg Mayonnaise
2 large whole eggs, separated
1 Tbsp of Dijon Mustard
2 Tbsp White Balsamic Vinegar (or plain white, or lemon juice)
2 tsp honey ( I use Jarrah)
salt & pepper (white) to taste
250ml sunflower oil

Place yolks, salt and pepper, honey, mustard and vinegar in processor or Thermomix bowl. Mix on speed 4 for 30 seconds or so.
Scrape down.
With blades rotating on speed 4, MC in place, slowly pour oil onto lid of Thermomix. If using a food processor, slowly pour oil through spout while processor is working.
Add oil steadily over a period of about 5 minutes.
Once thickened, taste test for seasoning etc. and add egg whites, mixing for 10 seconds on speed 4.
Add 1/4 tsp of Vitamin C powder to help preserve, if desired. Store in jars in the refrigerator.

I make double this recipe. I like to make a variety of dressings with this one mayonnaise.
1. Add yoghurt and chopped mint to make a potato salad dressing.
2. Add lemon juice for a Waldorf salad dressing.
3. Add wholegrain mustard and Special Salad Dressing for Dijonnaise.
4. Add anchovies for a Caeser salad dressing.
5. Add some mayonnaise to a creamy chicken casserole sauce for that tangy zing.

The possibilities are endless.

My cooked mayonnaise recipe can be found here. This is a sweeter mayonnaise and can be used in the following ways:

1. For tasty Tartare Sauce - add chopped capers and gherkins
2. Coleslaw Dressing - add some of the juice from canned pineapple. Add the chopped pineapple to the coleslaw.
3. Use as a potato salad dressing as is.
4. Mix with Special Salad Dressing, 2 tsp curry powder, 1 tsp dry mustard powder to make a Curried Pasta Salad Dressing.

Special Salad Dressing
This is a dressing I've developed over the years. It's similar to my Lemon & Mustard Dressing, with a few tweaks.

1/2 cup lemon juice & lemon zest
1/4 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup sunflower oil
3 tsp Jarrah honey (to taste)
2 tsp dulse flakes
2 tsp seeded mustard
1/2 tsp lemon herb seasoning
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 tsp lecithin
1/4 tsp turmeric
salt & white pepper

Blend together and place in a jar or bottle. The turmeric is optional, but I like the yellow colour. The dulse flakes are a dried sea vegetable and add both flavour and nutrition, but are low in sodium.

I throw this dressing into a whole variety of dishes to add flavour and tanginess.

Vanilla Processor Cake

This is a cake recipe that I've come up with based on a number of different recipes. I make it in the Thermomix, but it can be made in a food processor or even a normal mixer.
It will make one large cake suitable for a small baking dish, 2 smaller cakes or around 24 large patty cakes.
If no buttermilk is available, sour some milk by warming gently in the microwave and adding lemon juice. The acidic liquid is required to activate the bi-carb soda.
I add lecithin to my mixture, but it's not absolutely necessary. It just stops it looking curdled and makes for a smoother cake.
Lecithin is available from pharmacies and health food stores. It's made from soya beans and is an emulsifier.

Vanilla Cake
260g raw sugar
170g Dairy Soft
4 eggs, room temperature
300g plain flour
40g custard powder
2 tp baking powder
1 tsp bi-carb soda
1 cup buttermilk or soured milk
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lecithin (optional)

Blitz sugar to make into castor sugar.
Add butter blend and mix at speed 4 for 30 seconds.
Add eggs one at a time, beating at speed 4 and adding 3 Tbsp of flour mixture with the last egg to prevent curdling.
Add milk and flours and blend at speed 2 up to 4 until incorporated. Blend until smooth.

Bake at 160C for 1 hour in a small baking dish, 25 - 30 minutes on 200C for large patty cakes, 40 minutes at 180C for two smaller round cakes.

Vanilla Frosting
100g softened butter
200g icing sugar
1 Tbsp Custard Powder
2 - 3 Tbsp cream or milk
2 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp glucose (optional)

Blend butter, sugar and custard powder on speed 3 until smooth.
Add cream, essence and glucose. Continue blending until smooth and creamy.

The Challenge Continued...

While the one month long Pantry and Freezer Challenge has officially finished, I'm still vowing to use up everything in my freezers.
I have one chest freezer which is nearly empty, an upright freezer with a mainly frozen fruit for sorbets etc, and two fridge freezers.
Luckily, one fridge freezer has some nice porterhouse steak from the local store which has only been there since January. So, no freezer burn!!
Steak, potato gratin and salad for tea tonight! And, of course, pepper sauce.

My Pepper Sauce is made with a secret gravy mix that I buy which is delicious. Use any gravy mix and add a good glug of sherry, about 1/2 a cup of cream (or skinny tinny if you're watching) and some crushed mixed peppercorns to taste. Cook as normal. If you have any beef stock in the fridge or freezer add some of that for a more intense flavour.

The Challenge Tuesday Week 4

Today begins the final week of my Pantry & Freezer Challenge. All my freezers are beginning to look a bit bare, especially the chest freezer.

Yesterday, I made chicken stock with the carcass of the chicken cooked earlier in the week. I added a miripoix (diced carrot, celery and onion) and bouquet garni and cooked it on low for about 3 hours.

Last night's tea was a delicious concoction of Creamy Chicken with Vegies and Pasta.

I had three bone in chicken thighs and three people to feed. This actually fed three of us and made two meals to freeze.

Creamy Chicken with Vegetables and Pasta
3 bone in chicken thighs or a couple of marylands
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups of vegetables - I had carrots, red and green capsicum, snow peas, mushrooms and zucchini
1/2 cup cream
30g butter
salt & pepper
extra stock
Cornflour to thicken
Cooked pasta - about 2 cups

Poach chicken in stock and wine until well cooked. Allow to cool and then remove meat and dice. Place cooking liquid in freezer to set fat.
Saute harder vegetables in butter. Add cream and other vegetable and cook for a couple of minutes. Add extra stock and seasonings.
Add pasta, chicken and skimmed stock/wine from freezer and cook until vegetables are to your liking. Thicken with cornflour if necessary.

Sorry, no photo as camera not working. Lucky, darling son gave me his top notch camera for my birthday!

Tonight's tea is Curried Sausages. With only one packet of sausages (Lake Grace Butcher ones - the best!) and the whole family to feed tonight, I have to make them go a long way.

Dessert is Lemon Meringue Tarts. The reason I'm splashing out with dessert is because I have a jar of home made lemon butter in my pantry. Also, I made Hollandaise to have with my poached egg yesterday morning and had some left over egg whites.

Only thing is, when I opened the jar, it didn't taste the best and I realised it was a year old....  Pastry tarts already cooking in the oven, so I had to make another batch of Lemon Butter! Now I have even more egg whites! Meringues coming up, I think!

Here's the Lemon Butter recipe converted from a CWA one for the Thermomix:

Lemon Butter
500g sugar
250g butter
Juice of 4 lemons and zested rind of 3

Cook the above for 6 minutes/90/speed 3 to dissolve sugar and make a syrup.
Reduce heat to 80.

4 eggs - 2 with the whites, and 2 with yolks only

Beat the eggs and add slowly to the Thermomix bowl while on speed 3. Continue cooking for about 10 minutes until the mixture looks like honey and coats the back of a spoon.

Refrigerate in jars.

The Challenge - the rest of Week 3!

Time has got away from me this week, so I'm condensing the menu for this week into one post.

I'm finding that "The Challenge" is really about using up what's in my freezer. My pantry is full, yes, but I use everything and constantly replace items as they are finished or low in stock.
I buy a lot of things in bulk - all my flours, sugar, rices, nuts and seeds. I have loads of spices because I love to cook curries.

The rest of this week's cooking:
Roast Chicken - cooked in the Turbo Oven outside because it's too hot to cook inside!
Banana Muffins - My own recipe can be found here

Cinnamon Scrolls - making these right now, so will post photo when they're done. (can't find the camera, so no photo! They are superb! Recipe to be found here, adapted by forum guru JulieO.
Creamy Tomato Salmon Pasta - The salmon had been in the freezer a while and tasted rather 'fishy'. It obviously doesn't have a long freezer life due to it's oil content. (still working on this recipe, so will post when I'm satisfied with it)

Other than that it's been left overs this week. Not terribly adventurous, I know, but the limited meat ingredients in my freezer is leaving me with very little motivation. Freezer burned chicken legs, dubious packets of stuff that could be dog meat & sausages.
I do have some special things in there - a whole duck, a duck breast and some duck stock, but want to save these for a special occasion. Also, a whole fillet steak which will be saved for when the whole family is here for tea.

Tea tonight is crumbed steak, cauliflower gratin, baked potatoes, carrots, beans and peas.

I've had my first disaster. Defrosted a bag of what looked like dog mince and threw it into the Thermomix with some diced carrot and pumpkin to cook for Rambo's tea and find out that it's sausage mince. Can't give it to Rambo and can't use it now as it's cooked!!! 

Total Spend now around $235.00.