Also cheese pineapple and potatoe with lots of chile.... serve with sour
cream and chive sauce ....
merry xmas
ttfn again andy

"chef" > wrote in message
...
> try pre cooking filling so half done ... nuke it in micro ... let it cool
> off then make as before except use all butter or any veg oil instead of
marj
> . cook at higher temp on wire rack or pizza stone until done
> try with mushrooms.
> eggplant
> cubed celeriac
> chile peppers
> peas
> cheese
> merry xmas
> ttfn andy
>
> "Vox Humana" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> > "Gemme" > wrote in message
> > om...
> > > I decided to make some pasties. Last night I made flakey pastry for
> > > the first time ever. I used 2oz of margarine and 8oz of flour for the
> > > initial paste, and added a further 4oz of butter during the folding
> > > and rolling out stages.
> > >
> > > Today I made the pasties (pastry rested in the fridge overnight). I
> > > filled them with finely chopped onion, potato and carrot (as a
> > > substitute for swede), seasoned with salt and black pepper (I'm
> > > vegetarian). The filling went in the pasties raw. I cut slits in the
> > > top of the pasties to release the steam during cooking, and brushed
> > > the tops with milk for good measure.
> > >
> > > I put the pasties in a hot gas oven, bottom shelf. After about 20
> > > minutes I turned them round (the pastry was a nice darkish brown) and
> > > turned down the flame to give the contents a chance to cook without
> > > burning the pastry. After a further 20 minutes, I had as poke around
> > > at the contents of one and found that the filling was basically
> > > cooked. I checked the underside of the pasties but discovered that
> > > the pastry was still pale.
> > >
> > > The tops of the pasties couldn't be browned any further without
> > > burning them, so I decided to flip the pasties to give the pastry on
> > > the underside a chance to cook. It was pale and soft all over, and
> > > even sort of translucent in patches where the filling must have been
> > > the most moist. It took a further 20 minutes on a low flame to dry
> > > this pastry out, and lightly brown it.
> > >
> > > Pasties are supposed to be darker on the bottom than on the top. The
> > > pastry needs to be cooked quite hard, otherwise they aren't suitable
> > > for picking up and eating with your hands as the weight of the filling
> > > will just drop through the pastry.
> > >
> > > So, what was I doing wrong? How do I ensure the pastry on the bottom
> > > is cooked properly without having to flip the pasties?
> > >
> > > I've already decided the the filling needed more seasoning. About
> > > twice as much pepper (it should really warm your tounge) and possibly
> > > a herb, though I want to keep it quite simple. And the buttery taste
> > > of the pastry didn't suit the savoury filling, so I'll try making it
> > > with trex or some other vegetable fat next time.
> > >
> > > Any tips appreciated!
> > > Gemma.
> >
> > It's really hard to tell the exact problem without seeing the recipe.
> > First, I say that there is nothing particularly good about using
margarine
> > for baking. Margarine can be upwards of 50% water and the soft
margarines
> > can have a lot of oil, gums, starches and other undesirable ingredients.
> If
> > you don't like the flavor of butter, then I would recommend lard or
> > hydrogenated vegetable fat (Crisco) -- just say no to margarine.
> >
> > I would also recommend that you bake your pies and other pastries on the
> > bottom shelf. This gives good bottom heat and tends to crisp the
bottom.
> > Browning of the pastry depends on a number of factors including the pH
of
> > the dough and the proteins and sugars. To increase browning you can use
> an
> > egg wash on the top only. Egg wash will glue the pastry to the pan if
you
> > use it on the bottom.
> >
> > One way of preventing your pastry from getting soggy is to use a baking
or
> > pizza stone. You can pre-heat the stone and place the pastries directly
> on
> > the hot stone or put them on parchment and then place them on the stone.
> >
> > You may also want to get an oven thermometer to verify that your oven is
> > properly calibrated.
> >
> > In her book "The Pie and Pastry Bible" Beranbaum recommends a number of
> > alternative pastries for empanadas (which I assume is what you are
trying
> to
> > make.) I think I would start with a basic pie pastry and after
mastering
> > that modify it with by substituting some of the flour with whole wheat
> flour
> > or adding some grated cheese. If you have a food processor, making pie
> > pastry is quite easy. Let me know if you want a basic pastry recipe.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>