15 MINUTE HOMEMADE PUFF PASTRY

Before I begin with the post, I have some news for you. I am participating in a scholarship challenge held by the Institute of Culinary Education in New York for their Pastry & Baking Arts course. If you could take a moment to cast a vote for me,click here. It will help me a lot! You can vote everyday till March 28.If everything goes well as planned, I should join school this year.

A few days ago I was searching the internet for a quick puff pastry recipe a.k.a rough puff pastry. I have made both of them previously and I never tire from making them. Who doesn't like Chicken Puffs & Egg Puffs? When I made them earlier, I reused my chicken curry to make the filling. This time I was aiming for an Egg Puff but I made some Palmiers with it. They are just like the Britannia Little Hearts. So addictive!The Rough Puff Pastry I made earlier was for the famous Bangalore snack called Dilkhush.

Clotilde's recipe is so quick that you can make them in the last minute's notice.There is no chilling in between the rolling of the dough,which saves a lot of time. The end product was super flaky and buttery. Do not substitute butter for anything else as the flavour will alter if you do so. The bakery puffs we get back home is definately made with Dalda/Margarine. They taste greasy after a while. These,when made with pure sweet butter smells and tastes so good!

I would suggest an egg wash to give them a golden colour but make sure you don't let the egg wash drip down the cut sides as it will prevent the pastry from rising to it's maximum. We do buy our puff pastry,occasionally. The convenience is great but the price isn't,especially when you have to entertain a crowd with it. Now that I have found the quickest and the best one, I don't think I would return to the frozen packaged ones for convenience sake. You can wrap it well and store in the freezer for upto a month. Thaw and use as needed.

15 MINUTE PUFF PASTRY
Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter,cubed
1/3 cup ice cold water

Method: In a medium sized bowl, add the flour and salt. Stir to mix.
Add the cubed butter to the flour and work it in using a pastry blender or knives till they are crumbly and when the butter is in uniform pieces all about the size of peas. Make a hole in the centre of the flour mix and pour in the water. Work it in using a fork to form a dough.

Dump it onto a floured cutting board and pat to form a rough square. The dough might look crumbly,that's just the way it should be. Using a rolling pin,roll out the dough into a 10 inch long rectangle.Fold the bottom third of the dough over the middle of the dough. Fold the upper third of the dough over the middle of the dough.Rotate the dough one-quarter turn and repeat. Use additional flour to prevent sticking. Repeat the process atleast 6 or 7 times more. Wrap the dough well in plastic and chill for a minimum of 1 hour in the fridge. Use as needed.

This was well recieved by everyone who tried it. I made Ian some plain puffs and he loved it! You can use this for every recipe which calls for frozen puff pastry.

So, don't forget to vote for me! Here's the link!

DILKHUSH...an Indian favourite my way!

In one of our telephone conversations Amma & I happened to speak about 'Dilkush'. We both had it in our respective hostels during our college days. It was served as a tea- time snack. When I mentioned it to Jobin that evening, even he remembered eating it. Actually we 3 had very fond memories of it so I thought of giving it a try. I knew it was not a puff pastry casing instead something in between rough puff pastry and shortcrust pastry and I had no idea as to how to make it. So I thought of using the rough puff pastry I made a few days ago.

I love the filling. You can really have it alone if you are craving for something sweet.I couldn't stop myself from digging into it while I rolled out the pastry shell. I don't know how far I was successful in it because I think this is the closest I can get to in replicating that sweet at home unless that Bakery guy shares his recipe with me.

Today (Feb 22) is Amma's birthday and I thought I'd post this for her. Last year, we were there in Kannur on that day to celebrate her birthday with her. This year we are continents apart from each other!

DILKHUSH  my way!
Recipe for the rough puff pastry- My grandmother's cookbook
Recipe for the filling- My own


Ingredients:
For the rough puff pastry:
150g butter
200g plain all purpose flour
a pinch of salt
1 tsp lemon juice
125 ml ice cold water

For the filling:
1 c freshly grated coconut
3-4 tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp cardamom powder, optional

1 egg, lightly beaten for glace

Method:
For the rough puff pastry:
Cut the firm but not hard butter into walnut sized pieces.
Sift the flour and salt together into a wide bowl and add the butter with lemon juice & water.Mix the ingredients lightly with a round bladed knife and maybe use your fingertips too, to form a soft elastic dough.
Turn out the dough to a floured surface & knead it lightly.Shape it into a rectangle and then roll it out into a strip about 3/4 " thick, 12" long and 4"wide keeping the edges straight. Butter will be clearly seen as yellow streaks in the pastry.
Fold the bottom third of the pastry up& upper third down.( It will look like a parcel)
Turn the pastry so that the fold points toward the left hand side, seal the edges lightly with the edge of the little finger.
Roll out the pastry again keeping it 1/2" thick and to a rectangle of 18" x6".Fold it once again.
Place in a plastic bag and leave it in a cool place for 20 mins. Repeat this 4 times more .
Rest the finished pastry for 10 mins before shaping .

For the filling:
Dump all the ingredients together in a pan. Cook on medium heat till the sugar dissolves and it becomes slightly sticky (about a minute or two).
Let it cool completely before you fill the pastry case.

Assembling:
Pre-heat the oven to 425F and position the rack in the centre.
Line a rectangular baking tray with parchment/butter paper.
Divide the dough into 2 parts and roll out each part on a lightly floured surface or using a parchment paper.
Take one rolled out circle and place on the baking sheet.
Top it with the filling. Place the other rolled out pastry sheet over it and seal the edges using water.Fold it over to create a decorative edge.
Brush the top with the egg and cut a small X in the centre of the pastry (just a steam vent).
Bake for 25-30 mins or till it is golden in colour.
Cool completely on a wire rack before serving.

Verdict: I wouldn't say this was the exact same replica, it was definately different. This was more crunchier than the original. Jobin had a totally different filling idea and I didn't know that until he ate a slice. 'Oh this was not the filling that I had in mind but whatever this filling is, it's really good' was his reply after he had a bite!