Cold water
8 oz self-raising flour (225g)
Salt and freshly-milled pepper (for a savory crust)
4 oz shredded suet (110 g)
Sift the flour into a bowl, then sprinkle the suet in and just mix it in lightly with your hands to distribute it evenly. Now sprinkle in some cold water (you’ll find you need more for this pastry than for short crust). Begin mixing with a round-bladed knife, and then use your hands at the end to bring
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If you’ve never tried this pastry, then it’s a must next time you make steak and kidney pie. Because it is made with shredded beef suet, it has the best possible flavour for a beefsteak pie. But more than that—it is beautifully easy to make since there is no rubbing-in. It is resilient and easy to roll out, and it is deliciously light and crusty.
Important note: Suet crust is always made with self-raising flour, because suet being a heavy fat the pastry needs a raising agent to aerate it and make it lighter.
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(serves 6 people)
For the quick flaky pastry:
6 oz plain flour (175 g)
4 oz margarine (110 g)
Cold water
The rest of the ingredients:
1 ¾ lb thick end fillet steak (800 g)
1 Spanish onion
¾ lb mushrooms (350 g)
1 oz butter (50 g)
A little brandy Beaten egg
Salt, freshly-milled pepper, and nutmeg
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(makes about 24)
Quick flaky pastry made with 8 oz flour and 6 oz margarine
1 lb good pork sausage meat (450 g)
1 medium onion, grated
1 teaspoon sage
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk
Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 7, 425 F (220°C)
Make up the pastry as above, and leave it to rest in the refrigerator for half an hour.
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6 oz margarine
Cold water
8 oz plain flour
A pinch of salt
The margarine has to be block (not soft ‘tub’ margarine, which is not suitable). Take it hard from the fridge, weigh out the required amount, then wrap it in a piece of foil and return it to the freezing compartment of the refrigerator for half an hour. Meanwhile sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl.
When you take the margarine
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This pastry is surely heaven-sent. It’s uncomplicated, no trouble to roll out and handle, and tastes really crisp and flaky. That doesn’t sound like the flaky pastry you’ve heard about? Probably not—the advanced version certainly calls for time and effort, which few of us can spare. In this one, a much higher percentage of fat than in short crust is grated directly into the flour, so eliminating the repeated processes of rolling out, folding over and half-turning which make
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4 oz plain flour (110 g)
Cold water
1 oz lard (25 g)
Pinch of salt
1 oz margarine (25 g)
This will be enough for a lightly-greased 8 inch (20 cm) quiche or flan tin with fluted edges and a removable base.
Make up the pastry, then rest it for 20-30 minutes in a polythene bag in the fridge.
Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven
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(serves 6 people)
For the pastry:
6 oz lard (175 g)
12 oz plain flour (350 g)
Water, to mix
Salt and freshly-milled pepper
For the filling:
1 ¼ lb chuck steak (560 g)
1 medium to large turnip
1 medium to large potato
1 large onion, finely chopped
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