Episode 116: Savoury Pastry

Chicken Pillows in Tarragon Puff Pastry
Blue Cheese Gougeres with Garlic Creme Fraiche
Chicken Gougere Pie
Millefeuille of Apple, Walnut and Roquefort
Phyllo Parcels Stuffed with Whipped Brie and Cranberry

CHICKEN PILLOWS IN TARRAGON PUFF PASTRY
Preparation is medium

500 grams flour, plus more for dusting (1 pound)
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup chopped tarragon
500 grams cold butter (1 pound)
200 millilitres cold water (7 fluid ounces)
3 chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
2 carrots, medium brunoise
1-cup mushrooms, chopped
1 large onion, diced
2 tablespoons chopped tarragon
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter (30 millilitres)
2 tablespoons flour (30 grams)
1 pint of milk (1 quart)

Preparation time is 1 hour
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and add the tarragon and one quarter of the butter. Rub it in to the flour and gradually add enough water to bind it together. Put a little flour inside a plastic bag and put the pastry inside and chill for 30 minutes.

Flatten the remainder of the butter between two sheets of greaseproof paper until it is about ¾ inch thick. Remove the dough from the bag and place it on a floured work surface. Roll it into a 1-inch thick square, large enough for its corners to fold over and envelope the butter. Use light, quick strokes to roll the dough out evenly.

Place the butter on top of the dough. Enclose the butter by folding over the corners of the dough, leaving about 1-inch of space around the edge of the butter. Roll the folded dough, pressing evenly and gently. Roll it into a shape that is three times as long as it is wide. Fold the top third over the centre, then fold the bottom third over so that there are three layers. Seal the air into the layers by pressing the edges of the dough down. Roll out the dough again and fold once again. Do this a third time. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill for 30 minutes. Remove it from the fridge and roll and fold two more times.

Heat some olive oil in a pan. Dice the chicken breasts, season with salt and pepper and put them in the pan to brown. After they begin to colour, about 3 minutes, turn and cook for a further 2 minutes. Then remove the chicken pieces and set aside. In the same pan, add the onion to sauté for about 2 minutes. Then add the mushrooms and carrots and continue to cook until the mushrooms have released their liquid and the carrots begin to soften. Stir in the tarragon.

In a separate saucepan melt the butter and stir in the flour over a low heat. Cook the roux for a minute or so. Add the milk in a steady stream and beat all the while. Whisk the sauce until it boils, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. After this time add cream or more milk to get the required consistency, season with salt and pepper.

Stir the chicken pieces and vegetables into the white sauce.

Cut your puff pastry into 5-inch squares. Place a serving of the chicken mixture in the centre of each piece of puff pastry. Fold up the four corners to create a purse shape and seal them like a pillow in the middle by pinching them together with moistened fingers. Brush the top of each pillow with milk and place them on a non-stick baking sheet. Cook them in the oven until puffed and golden.

Yield: 6 servings
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BLUE CHEESE GOUGERES WITH GARLIC CRÈME FRAICHE
Preparation is easy

1-cup water (250 millilitres)
7 tablespoons unsalted butter (3 ½ ounces)
1-tablespoon salt (15 millilitres)
Pinch of sugar
1-¼ cups flour (5 ounces)
4 to 5 large eggs
1-¼ cups crumbled blue cheese (stilton, Danish blue) (5 ounces)
White pepper

For the filling:
1-cup crème fraiche (250 millilitres)
6 tablespoons garlic olive oil (90 millilitres)
3 cloves roasted garlic

Preparation time is 50 minutes
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit

In a pan combine the water, butter, salt and sugar and bring it to a boil. Add all the flour at once and reduce the heat to medium. Stir for a couple of minutes until the mixture forms a ball and the moisture has evaporated.

Remove the dough from the heat and allow cooling for a minute. Then transfer the mixture to a food processor and attach the paddle. Break in 4 eggs one by one and mix until smooth. The batter should form soft peaks that bend. If it is too stiff add the white of the final egg. If necessary add the yolk, mix in the cheese. Adjust the seasoning with salt and white pepper.

Fill a piping bag with the mixture and pipe the batter into 1-tablespoon mounds onto a baking tray lined with Silpat or parchment paper. Leave a couple of inches between each mound. Bake for 8 minutes, and then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the gougeres for another 20 to 25 minutes, until they are light golden brown in colour.

Mix together the crème fraiche, garlic oil and roasted garlic. Cut off the top of each gougere and fill with the mixture. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 dozen gougeres
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CHICKEN GOUGERE PIE
Preparation is easy

1-cup water (250 millilitres)
7 tablespoons unsalted butter (3 ½ ounces)
1-tablespoon salt
Pinch of sugar
1-¼ cups flour (5 ounces)
4 to 5 large eggs
1-¼ cups crumbled blue cheese (stilton, Danish blue) (5 ounces)
White pepper
4 chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
3 carrots, medium brunoise
1 1/2 cups mushrooms, chopped
1 large onion, diced
3 tablespoons chopped tarragon
2 tablespoons olive oil (30 millilitres)
3 tablespoons butter (45 millilitres)
3 tablespoons flour (45 grams)
1 1/2 pints of milk (1 1/2 quarts)

Preparation time is 11/2 hours
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit

In a pan combine the water, butter, salt and sugar and bring it to a boil. Add all the flour at once and reduce the heat to medium. Stir for a couple of minutes until the mixture forms a ball and the moisture has evaporated.

Remove the dough from the heat and allow to cool for a minute. Then transfer the mixture to a food processor and attach the paddle. Break in 4 eggs one by one and mix until smooth. The batter should form soft peaks that bend. If it is too stiff add the white of the final egg. If necessary add the yolk, mix in the cheese. Adjust the seasoning with salt and white pepper.

Heat some olive oil in a pan. Dice the chicken breasts, season with salt and pepper and put them in the pan to brown. After they begin to colour, about 3 minutes, turn and cook for a further 2 minutes. Then remove the chicken pieces and set aside. In the same pan, add the onion to sauté for about 2 minutes. Then add the mushrooms and carrots and continue to cook until the mushrooms have released their liquid and the carrots begin to soften. Stir in the tarragon.

In a separate saucepan melt the butter and stir in the flour over a low heat. Cook the roux for a minute or so. Add the milk in a steady stream and beat all the while. Whisk the sauce until it boils, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. After this time add cream or more milk to get the required consistency, season with salt and pepper.

Stir the chicken pieces and vegetables into the white sauce.

Put the gougere mix into a piping bag and pipe it all around the outside of a large ovenproof dish, building up a layer against the edge. Pour the chicken mixture into the middle and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Turn the oven down and bake for a further 30 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and golden.

Yield: 6 servings
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MILLEFEUILLE OF APPLE, WALNUT AND ROQUEFORT
Preparation is medium

For the flaky pastry:
4 ounces flour (110 grams)
Pinch of salt
2 ½ ounces butter (60 grams)
1 tablespoon lemon juice (15 millilitres)
1 egg
6 apples
½ cup orange juice (125 millilitres)
½ cup raisins
8 ounces Roquefort cheese
½ cup walnuts

Preparation time is 1-½ hours
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit

For the pastry, wrap the butter in tin foil and put it in the freezer for an hour. After that time, sift the flour and the salt together and take the butter from the freezer. Holding it in the foil, dip it in the flour and then grate it coarsely into the flour. Mix up the flour and butter with a fork until it looks evenly distributed. Sprinkle on the lemon juice and bring the dough together with your hands, adding water if necessary. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set aside in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.

Roll out the dough to fit your baking tray. Prick the surface of the pasty with a fork and brush it with beaten egg and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until a golden brown, crisp colour.

Cut the pastry into three wide strips, being careful not to break it apart.

Peel and core 5 of the apples. Chop them into small pieces. Put them in a saucepan with the orange juice, the raisins and the cinnamon. Cook over a medium heat until soft. Break any of the larger pieces of apple up. This should be rough texture without any large lumps.

Cut the Roquefort into very thin slices. On a large serving plate put a slice of pasty down. Then add a layer of apple and raisin mixture, crumble on some walnuts and add a layer of Roquefort cheese. Add a second layer of pastry and the same again. Finish with a top layer of pastry and decorate with pieces of sliced apple and walnut.

Yield: 6 servings
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PHYLLO PARCELS STUFFED WITH WHIPPED BRIE AND CRANBERRY
Preparation is difficult

1 packet phyllo pastry
1-cup cranberries
½ cup soft brown sugar (4 ounces)
½ cup orange juice (125 millilitres)
2 tablespoons butter, melted (30 millilitres)
12 ounces ripe Brie, chilled (375 grams)

Preparation time is 35 minutes
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Put the cranberries into a pan with the orange juice and brown sugar. Cook over a low heat until they begin to pop and release their juices, about 8 minutes. Continue to cook until the cranberries are soft but do not completely lose their shape.

Remove the rind from the Brie. Put it in a food processor and beat it until it becomes white and creamy, about 10 minutes.

Cut the phyllo into 24 6-inch squares. Be careful not to allow them to dry out. Brush 12 of them with butter and lay the remaining ones over the top. Put a spoonful of the whipped brie in the middle of each square and some of the cranberry mix, being careful not to add too much of the liquid. Fold the parcels over to form a triangle and brush the edges that come into contact with oil before folding them over on themselves.

Bake the phyllo parcels for about 12 minutes, or until golden and hot.

Yield: 6 servings
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Recipe compliments of Chef Ned Bell