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.
>
>
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>