How to use puff-pastry's left-overs.

Tuesday is the day of my English lesson (I’m still a student !)
Why wouldn’t it be the occasion of a weekly post?

What do you do with your puff pastry's left-overs?
I always new that it was forbidden to make a ball and re-roll it, but I didn’t have a particular technique.

I found a trick on a French food site, le Meilleur du chef.

You just have to pile the pieces of pastry, making them overlap a bit.




Then you can roll thinly ...




and cut into different shapes: sticks, here sprinkled with poppy seeds and parmesan...





Or tiny rounds with some tomato sauce on them, and a piece of anchovy filet.






You can bake them a little in advance and then freeze them to be able to cope with any impromptu aperitive!

French version here

tags technorati : puff pastry leftovers pâte feuilletée appetizers amuse-bouches

Cakes and Pies, List of Recipes.

• Apple Pie (Tarte aux pommes).

Apple Pie - Tarte aux Pommes.

Saturday night's dinner is "our" special meal of the week... I leave the kitchen and let my boyfriend cook for us :)

This night, it was more a "four hands" team as I made the dessert: "de la tarte aux pommes", or apple pie.

You can make such a pie with a custard or an applesauce layer below the apples, but I chose to make a very simple one: puff pastry, apples, sugar, cinnamon and a little bit of butter.

Begin with preheating the oven, 180°C.

Just roll the pastry as thin as you can and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon...



then dispose the apples (I used two of them, my pastry wasn't very large) beginning with the edges...



I sprinkled again with whole-sugar, cinnamon and some scoops of butter...



and baked it during maybe half-an-hour.






It's my best apple pie ever!! We savoured it with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream... What a treat!!

tags technorati : apple pie apple recipe puff pastry cinnamon

Rice and Pastas, List of Recipes.

• Spanish Rice.

My Da's Delicious Rice.

My father cooks very well and one of his special meal is a good plate of rice, depending on his inspiration.

He began making this rice with Chinese mushrooms, pieces of omelette, and he is now inspired by Spain! :)

You'll need: (for 2 good eaters)

• 1 chopped onion
  
• olive oil
  
• 1 glass of round grain rice
  
• vegetables or chicken stock, at least 3 or 4 glasses
  
• here chorizo and little shrimps, or seafood
  
• spices: here a bit curcuma and massale, but can also be a special paëlla mix

First, cook the onion in the oil until it is translucid and remove it from the pan. Put a little bit more oil and add the rice and spices. Take care not to burn the rice!
Here again, cook until the rice begins to be translucid.



Then add 2 or 3 glasses of stock, the onion and simmer until the rice is cooked. You'll have maybe to add 1 or 2 glasses of stock.

About 10 minutes before the end of cooking add the chorizo and shrimps.



French version here

tags technorati : rice recipe riz rice chorizo

Amuses-Bouches, List of Recipes.

• Petits Palmiers.

Palmiers.

A translation for "Palmiers" would be "Palms"...not that explicit?

Palmiers are in fact appetizers, really very simple to make and really delicious! You'll always be successfull with such little crackers.

You'll need puff pastry (home-made would be the best) and whatever you like to put on it: pesto, ham, oignons, bacon, cheese, honey...just be imaginative!

Just spread the garnishing on the puff pastry (here you have pesto)



and begin to roll each side of it up to the middle,




let it harden in the freezer for about 10 minutes at least (so that it will be easier to cut) and cut the roll into slices, (here: bacon and parmesan)



then bake the palmiers until golden.



Here the bacon/parmesan version:



Crispy, savoury...enjoy! :)

French Version here !

tags technorati : puff pastry appetizers crackers delicious food