PAgeHintsheaderfor best.....results, Pastry

PAgeHintsheaderfor best.....results

Pastry

•A selection of ready-rolled pastry, such as pie crust, puff or butter puff, is available in your supermarket freezer or specialty food store. These pastries give great results and are handy to keep in your freezer. Allow sufficient time to defrost to room temperature before use. Filo pastry can be used for some pies. Use filo pastry from the chilled refrigerator section of the supermarket. Frozen filo pastry can be brittle and difficult to shape.

•Pastry sheets should be kept chilled then thawed when needed. For best results, frozen pastry should be used as soon as it is thawed. If left out for too long, soft pastry sheets are difficult to handle and to cut clean shapes.

•For a light and buttery taste, use puff pastry or butter puff pastry for the pastry top; and puff pastry or ready- rolled pie crust for the pastry base. This combination is ideal for dessert pies. We do not recommend using ready-rolled pie crust for your pastry top.

•Some pies, such as tarts and quiches, can be made with a pastry base only. Certain fillings are not suitable for this - they can overflow out of the pastry base and onto the Cooking Plates - so follow the recipe instructions within this booklet or experiment with the consistency of the fillings. Drier, firmer fillings tend to work best.

•Unused pastry sheets can be refrozen. Place into a large freezer bag and seal before placing back into the freezer.

Using left-over pastry

•Make more pies, garnishes and decorations with the left over pastry. Lightly knead the left-over pieces into a ball and roll out to approximately V inch (3mm) thick.

TIP

It is easier to roll pastry between 2 sheets of waxed baking paper.

To make garnishes and decorations, cut the pastry into any shape, such as leaves, hearts, or stars. Place the shape on the pastry top before baking as usual.

NOTE

It is recommended that only ready- rolled pie crust pastry be re-rolled. Also, keep the pastry covered to prevent drying and cracking.

Pre-cutting pastry

•Pastry can be pre-cut and stored in the freezer so that anyone can make pies at their convenience. After cutting up the pastry, separate each piece with a layer of plastic wrap. Cover completely with plastic wrap and return to the freezer.