Go Puff Yourself

I recently tried using some purchased puff pastry. Mind you, I have never made puff pastry from scratch. Seeing that the dough available at my local bakery is butter-based though, I thought I would?ágive it a try. I have been avoiding vegetable oil shortening in my baked products, it’s on my big “DO NOT EAT THAT IT IS NON-FOOD” list.

I thought?áI’d split this package of dough?áin half to try?átwo different things: to make Something Savoury, and to make Something Sweet.

For Savoury, I used?áthe veggies?áthat were?áat hand:?ábrussels sprouts,?ápotatoes,?áJerusalem artichokes, mixed up?áwith bits of goat cheese.

In the?áSweet half?áI?áused some thawed blueberries that I’d mixed up with an?áegg and a bit of brown sugar and had previously?ástored in the fridge. I really have no idea why I’d mixed the blueberries, sugar, and?áegg in the first place… perhaps I was going to try to make?áa pie or a custard.

In any event, the methods for making both Savoury and Sweet treats?áwere the same. I cut little rectangles, plopped some of the filling inside, and then pressed another rectangle of dough on top. Pinched the edges. I poked the tops with a fork (it told me to on the packaging… I think it allows more air to get inside, causing the “puffing” effect). The Savoury puffs, I pressed little almond slivers into them. This was because I adore veggies with almonds, and also because I was curious what would happen with the puff pastry.

?áI baked the puffs for the prescribed amounts of time and temperature listed on the packaging.

I was happy with the results for the Savoury Puffs. They were actually pretty good. The Sweet Puffs, however, I wasn’t so impressed with them. I think the problem was that my frozen blueberries had been?áthawed, and therefore were a soupy mess. Oh, and they’d?ábeen mixed up with a runny egg, too. Because of this,?áI couldn’t pack enough filling into the puffs, so the dough/filling ratio was off-kilter. The next time I try this (and, oh, yes, believe me there will be a next time…) I will use frozen blueberries (or fresh!), no egg, and just a dash of that brown sugar. Perhaps instead of the sugar I’ll use?ásome apple for sweetening. Here’s hoping they’ll be good enough to share!

I think it is good to experiment a little with cooking, and to learn from our mistakes. If anyone has any suggestions for “how to use puff pastry” please don’t hesitate to share some tips in the comments!

Natasha Henderson, Montreal