Cream Puff Pastry
Broad Beans
Rissotto
Cream Puff Pastry or Pâte à Choux
Cream
puff pastry or pâte à choux is a wonderful way of using a
plentiful supply of eggs and has the great advantage of being able to be frozen
either cooked or uncooked. It is very
versatile and puffs are always impressive.
I
learnt to make cream puff pastry at Le Très Bon Restaurant cooking school at
Bundgendore. What a treat to have French
chef, Christophe Gregoire demonstrate the art of French cooking at its
best.
Fortunately,
making cream puff pastry is not complicated you just have to treat the eggs
with care. It is simply a heated paste
of flour, melted butter, hot water into which as many eggs as possible are
beaten. The eggs make the pastry puff up
when it is cooked.
Making cream puffs
You
need four large eggs (around 55g) at room temperature plus another for glazing. Place 1 cup (250ml) of water in a saucepan,
add 80g of butter, a pinch of salt, a couple of pinches of sugar (if you are
going to use the pastry for a dessert) and heat until the butter melts and the
water boils.
Remove
from the heat and add 125g of plain flour.
Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until it is well blended then put
the saucepan back on the heat and beat it until it forms a mass and leaves the
side of the saucepan and the spoon.
Remove
from the heat, place mixture in a basin, make a well in the middle and add an
egg. Beat in one egg until it is
completely absorbed into the mixture, then another, and so on. The third and fourth eggs will take some
convincing to incorporate into the flour.
Scrap down the mixture and beat it again to make sure it is smooth and
blended.
While
the mixture is still warm put it on to a buttered baking tray in circular
mounds about 3cm wide and 2cm high which will give small puffs. Press down gently with a fork as you do not
want any points sticking up or they will burn.
You can use a piping bag and nozzle.
You can make bigger puffs about 6cm wide and 3cm high. You can also pipe a long narrow row of paste
to make éclairs.
Give your
pastry room to expand on the tray. Brush
them with a little beaten egg but don’t let it dribble onto the tray or it will
inhibit the rising of the puff. Bake in
a hot oven (200°C) for 20 – 35
minutes depending on their size. They
should be double their size, golden brown and dry to touch.
Keeping your puffs crisp
Now
here is the key to dry, crisp puffs. Pierce
the small puffs with a skewer to let the steam out. Cut larger puffs in half and scoop out their
soft insides or they will go soggy. Cut
the éclairs almost in
half lengthwise and do the same. Put
them back in the turned off oven with the door ajar to dry completely for 10
minutes.
Freezing your puffs and
pastry
Once
your puffs are cool you can fill them with delectable fillings or you can
freeze them on trays and pack them in bags for later use. Before use just heat them for 3 or 4 minutes
in a very hot oven. You can freeze
uncooked cream puff pastry. When you
need to use it put it in a saucepan over very low heat and beat it until it is
smooth and barely warm.
Serving your puffs
You
can dip your puffs in chocolate or caramel sauce or icing. You can fill them with cream, custard or ice
cream or savoury fillings such as smoked salmon or mushroom in a creamy sauce
or a thick white sauce with cheese flavourings.
The sky is the limit.
Using choux paste for gnocchi
and quenelles
You
can also use choux paste to make gnocchi and quenelles. For gnocchi mix a cup of warm choux paste
with 3 or 4 desiree or mashing potatoes that have been peeled, boiled, allow to
dry and mashed by themselves until smooth.
Cook in the normal way and serve with sauce.
For
quenelles, mix two cups of chilled choux paste with 600g of chilled boneless
fish fillets which have been pureed in a food processor with flavourings and
4-8 tablespoons of whipping cream to give a mixture that is not solid but does hold
its shape. With two wet spoons shape the
quenelles and drop into barely simmering fish stock and poach until they double
in size and roll over easily – about 20 minutes. You can use lobster, shellfish, fresh
chicken or veal instead of fish or even a drained can of salmon. Serve with a sauce.
RISOTTO
There
is a feeling of change in the air. The
first buds are beginning to spring forth but there still are some cold days ahead. What better time of year for eating risotto? All the comforts of winter in the warm creamy
rice with the promise of spring in the tender young vegetables added at the
last moment to retain their goodness. You
can use whatever you have on hand to flavour risotto.
Risotto
is usually based on short-grained rice that can absorb a lot of liquid. The most commonly used risotto rice in
Australia is Arborio but there are other varieties such as vialone and
carnaroli. Risotto is a great stand-by
dish provided you are willing to spend time stirring in the stock in order to produce
a creamy dish. This is a pleasant task
if you have a glass of wine to drink or friends to talk to. Cooked to
perfection even the simplest risotto tastes fantastic.
2. HEAT YOUR COOKING LIQUID
You
will need 6-7 cups of cooking liquid for every two cups of rice. The precise amount will vary from dish to
dish. You can combine stock, vegetable
puree, such as crushed tomatoes, fruit juice such as orange juice, lemon juice
and verjuice; with a good splash of alcohol if you like, such as champagne,
cider, dry white vermouth, white wine or red wine. Bring the cooking liquid to a simmer and keep
it hot while cooking the risotto.
3. SAUTE BASIC FLAVOURINGS
Gently
fry your basic flavourings, such as onion, leek, celery, fennel, mushrooms,
capsicums, in oil and/or butter, so they soften but do not brown.
4. SAUTE AROMATICS
Add
any aromatics that you wish to use, such as garlic, ginger, spices such as
nutmeg, paprika, fennel seeds, hard-leaved herbs such as thyme, bay leaves,
sage, and fry gently for short while to bring out their flavours.
5. SAUTE RICE
Two
cups (440g) of short grained rice such as Arborio should be plenty for four
people. Sauté it until the grains start
to become translucent but be careful not to let the rice to brown.
6. GRADUALLY ADD COOKING LIQUID TO RICE
Add
a ladle of warm cooking liquid to the rice and let it simmer, stir constantly
until most, but not all, of the liquid has been absorbed. Then add the next ladle and repeat the
procedure. Continue until the rice has
absorbed as much liquid as it can. This should take around 20- 25 minutes. The gradual adding of the stock and the
stirring helps the rice to become creamy.
7. ADD DEFINING INGREDIENTS
When
the rice is nearly cooked to your taste – the individual grains should be
separate and cooked so they are still slightly nutty in the centre – add your
defining ingredients and cook for a few minutes more. You can use lightly cooked seafood such as
calamari rings, prawns, mussels, fish pieces, yabbies, scallops; vegetables,
such as frozen or fresh peas, asparagus, spinach, watercress, Florence fennel,
artichokes, cooked pumpkin or sweet potato, soaked dried mushrooms or fresh
mushrooms; meats such as cooked chicken pieces, ham, fried bacon, even rabbit.
8. GARNISH THE RISOTTO.
Garnish
the risotto to add zing to the dish. For
example, you can use fresh herbs such as parsley, basil; grated cheese, roasted
capsicum strips, sage leaves fried in olive oil or butter, pesto, lemon zest,
lemon juice, verjuice, toasted pine nuts, crispy pancetta, and even a little
cream. Serve immediately as risotto is
spoilt by waiting.
USING LEFTOVERS
Make
risotto cakes by combining cooked risotto (and any extra ingredients you fancy)
with beaten egg and shaping the mixture into patties. Fry over medium heat in olive oil for 3-4
minutes per side. Make Arancini by rolling
about a tablespoon of cooked risotto in your hands and pressing a piece of
cheese or butter into the centre of the ball with your thumb. Close up and roll the ball in flour, then dip
in beaten eggs, and then roll in seasoned breadcrumbs. Place on baking paper on a metal tray and
cook in oven at around 180 C for 20 minutes until browned or deep fry for 3-4
minutes.
Add leftover risotto to soups or use it to top a tuna bake or
similar dish. Just sprinkle the risotto
topping with cheese and brown in the oven or under a grill. Use left over risotto to stuff tomatoes or
capsicums and bake in the oven.
FOR NON STIRRERS
If
you haven’t the time to spend stirring the risotto you can make a pilaf. You follow the basic steps as with the
risotto but use a high sided fry pan instead of a saucepan, you can use
clarified butter or ghee to sauté your basic flavourings and aromatics. You add less cooking liquid than a risotto
and the liquid is added at the start rather than in stages. You need about 1
litre for 2 cups of rice but reserve some of this to add later if the rice is
drying out and not fully cooked. After
adding the cooking liquid cover the pan tightly and cook gently for 20 minutes
or until rice is cooked. You can use long grain rice, turmeric, garam masala
and other aromatics such as cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns and cardamom pods, as
well as raisins, sultanas and cashews and almonds for an Indian or Persian
flavour, or short grained rice, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, orange or lemon
zest, marjoram or oregano along with chorizo sausage, seafood, pre-cooked
chicken and peas for a paella flavour.
Anything goes.
Broad Beans
· Broad beans (or fava beans) are tough characters. They are one of the few vegetables that grow over winter and flower before the aphids swarm around in late spring. They were about the only edible beans in Europe until beans such as‘French’ beans and scarlet runner beans were brought over from the New World.
· They can be eaten whole as pods when very young and dried to provide beans during winter. Try to pick the broad beans before they get too old and develop a brown or worse, a black streak separating the two halves of the beans. Cook the beans until tender, the older the longer. Not everyone likes broad beans but you can make them far more appetizing by removing their tough outer coat which goes rather grey when cooked. Although fiddly, it is worth the effort as you will get bright green succulent morsels that will entice anyone to eat them. It is possible to find double peeled frozen broad beans in some delicatessens and Asian stores, but if you have a glut of broad beans don’t let them age on the plants, pick them and double peel them and freeze them yourself.
· Broad beans go well with pan fried bacon, pancetta and chorizo sausages and cheeses with verve such as marinated feta, pecorino and parmesan, as well as lemon juice, lemon zest, preserved lemons, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, French and seed mustard, garlic, red onions, pesto, and herbs such as mint, coriander, flat-leaf parsley, dill, basil, savory or even a little sage or rosemary and other beans, peas, asparagus, artichokes and zucchini.
· Pan fried
· Sauté some aromatics such as garlic and onion in some olive oil then add chopped or sliced bacon, pancetta, chorizo or even ham. Add cooked and double peeled beans. You can also add some other green cooked vegetable if you like. Add some chopped herbs and a slurp of olive oil and squeeze of lemon juice.
· Salads
· Place a generous amount of cooked double peeled broad beans in a basin. Add some finely chopped red onion and garlic if you like. Toss in chopped herbs. Add some dressing, and shaved or grated parmesan or pecorino, or crumbled feta. Garnish with crispy bacon or pancetta if you like or cubes of bread fried in olive oil. Try adding baby spinach, beetroot or rocket leaves to the salad or even watercress. Sliced pear would also go well with the broad beans and you could add some blue vein cheese for a taste sensation. You can top the salad with slices lamb, rare beef or chicken.
· Pasta and Grains
· Briefly sauté, cooked double peeled broad beans and crushed garlic in olive oil or butter, add some cooked pasta or gnocchi, sour cream and flaked cooked salmon, garnish with chopped dill. You can add broad beans to your favourite tomato pasta sauce, use lots of garlic and onion for flavour, stir in the pasta and garnish with crumbled crispy bacon or pancetta. Broad beans go well with grains in dishes such as rice paella, barley and rice pilafs, risottos, or with couscous. Because of their fairly robust flavour they go well with pumpkin and sweet potato and spices in casseroles or tagines
· Broad bean puree
· Broad beans can be pureed to make dips or to serve as beds or toppings for other ingredients. You simply put the cooked beans in a food processor with a little olive oil and lemon juice and puree. Some good ingredients to go into the mix are: garlic, yoghurt, sour cream, ricotta, feta, finely grated parmesan cheese. You can also make your own falafels and even freeze the mixture for later use. Puree cooked broad beans with half their volume of chick peas (ones from a can are good), spices such as cumin and paprika and herbs such as coriander and parsley, with finely chopped onion or crushed garlic. Add some baking powder, about dessertspoon per cup of beans, and season with salt and pepper. Blend in food processor, but not too much, as the mixture should have the texture of crunchy peanut butter and be quite stiff. Shallow fry in a little oil; use a poaching ring to make a pattie shape. Serve with labna made by mixing yoghurt with has been drained in a sieve for a few hours or overnight, with parsley or finely chopped coriander and the zest of lime or lemon, and salt and pepper.
- LINKS
- Persian broad beans with dill, feta and fried eggs - great vegetarian meal
- http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/28679/persian+broad+beans+with+dill+feta+fried+eggs
· A tasty broad bean dip. You can use frozen beans or freshly cooked beans. Drain off the water from the cooked beans and onions before adding the other ingredients and processing.
· A delicious risotto using broad beans and chorizo – a great flavor combination. You can use fresh, blanched broad beans with their outer skins removed.
· Fish, thyme and broad bean pies are easy to make. Spice them up a little by seasoning with salt and pepper, adding a little chilli or a dash of mustard.
· This dish is unusual combination of broad beans, barley and sweet potato. You can use fresh broad beans. To speed up the cooking process cook the broad beans in boiling water until just tender and microwave or steam the sweet potato until it is just tender then add to the barley and cook until soft. For extra flavor add some cheese at the end. Parmesan, grated cheddar or feta would work well.
· This is a recipe for an Egyptian style falafel. You can use your own dried broad beans – but before you dry them blanch them for a couple of minutes and remove their tough outer skins.
· Jamie Oliver has a great broad bean recipe and gives a few hints on preparing broad beans.
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