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Unit 260 Prepare and Cook Basic Pastry Dishes. What is Pastry?. Basic pastes are the building blocks of a great number of sweet and savoury dishes. A combination of flour, fat and liquid. Is used to produce tarts, flans, pies and cases. Can be baked or steamed. Why is it important?.
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What is Pastry? • Basic pastes are the building blocks of a great number of sweet and savoury dishes. • A combination of flour, fat and liquid. • Is used to produce tarts, flans, pies and cases. • Can be baked or steamed.
Why is it important? • A wide range of dishes in kitchen, pastry and larder use pastry. • Traditions of pastry goods from a wide range of countries inc. baklava, strudel and steak pie. • As customer demand is more cosmopolitan it is important to know about and how to cook these items.
Preparing basic pastry.Types of basic pastry. • Short pastry • Sweet pastry • Suet pastry • Boiled pastry (choux)
Short pastry. • Should be light and easily broken when cooked. • Contains no sugar, is the basis for savoury items. • Soft flour and a range of fats are used. • 1:2 (50%) fat to flour ratio, bound with water. • Aeration is important.
Sweet pastry. • Addition of sugar and eggs, reduction of water. • Rubbing in or creaming method. • Needs to be made and rested prior to use. • Sugar caramelises to produce colour, so a lower cooking temp is required. • Used for fruit flans, tarts, mince pies and barquettes.
Suet pastry. • Suet is the fat surrounding kidneys of cattle and sheep. • Pastry combines suet, flour and water. • Usually produced for steamed dishes inc. steak and kidney pudding and sweet steamed puddings with syrup, orange or lemon flavouring. • Vegetarian alternative is now used esp. in mince pies.
Boiled (choux) pastry. • Made by adding flour to boiling water and fat. • Needs to be cooked after addition of flour to gelatinise the starch and form a panade. • Too much egg will result in a wet mix and end in mis-shapes. • Boil, Beat and Bake. • Used for éclairs, profiteroles and some potato dishes.
Mixing methods. • Rubbing in Short pastry • Creaming Sweet pastry • Flour batter Sweet pastry • Blending Suet pastry • Folding Puff pastry • Boiling Choux pastry
Common problems. • Tough mix through overworking or insufficient resting. • Use of wrong type of flour- strong or soft. • Contamination through weevils or foreign bodies. Clean equipment and work surfaces is essential. • Fat to flour ratio incorrect. • Liquid content incorrect.
Quality points. • Texture. Does it feel right? • Appearance. Does it look right? • Consistency. Is it wet enough, or too wet?
Cooking basic pastry.Cooking methods. • Baking. Different pasties require different temperatures and times. Puff, choux, sweet and short. • Steaming. Atmospheric (low) or high pressure steamer. Moist atmosphere is required.
Quality points of a cooked pastry product. • Appearance. Does it look cooked? • Aroma. Does it smell pleasant? • Texture. Does it feel cooked? • Temperature. Is it hot enough in the centre? • Time. Has it been in the oven the right amount of time for the recipe?
Finishing methods.Dusting. • Dusting with icing sugar, cocoa, cinnamon or a combination should be light and delicate, using a strainer, muslin or shaker. Different styles include: • Scones - lightly dusted. • Pithiviers - dusted and glazed. • Victoria sandwich - dusted with a template.
Piping. • Piping with cream, chocolate or fondant requires practise. Health issues with the use of cream should be considered. • Cream - Care taken not to overwhip. • Chocolate - Can be thickened with glycerine, brandy or stock syrup. • Fondant - Care taken not to overheat.
Filling. • Important in both raw and cooked goods. It is vital not to overfill the pastry or the look of the final product will be spoiled. • Raw - Allow room for expansion or the pastry will spill or burst. • Cooked- Ensure all items are filled equally, using attractive designs and appropriate nozzles.
Glazing. • Various methods of glazing pastries to obtain a brown colour or gloss finish. • Hot & cold process gels. • Eggwash- added salt helps to improve the glaze by denaturing the protein. • Dust with icing sugar and grill or bake. • Fondant- care must be taken with temperature control. • Apricot jam- should be heated and strained before use.