Puff Pastry Stars Food

PARMESAN PUFF PASTRY STARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Dust a flat work surface lightly with flour. Unroll both puff pastry sheets and roll each one out to a rectangle of the same size. Brush one puff pastry sheet with a little water and sprinkle with 1/2 of the Parmesan cheese. Lay the second puff pastry sheet on top, brush with water, and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Using a large star cutter cut out about twelve 2 1/2 to 3 1/2-inch stars.
• Place stars on prepared baking sheet and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes (or 5 minutes in the freezer).
• Bake in the preheated oven until puffed up and golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

STAR PUFFS

Steps:

• Cut a sheet of puff pastry with a star-shaped cookie cutter. Arrange the stars on a parchment-lined baking sheet; brush with olive oil and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese and pepper. Bake at 400 degrees until puffed and crisp, about 15 minutes.

ROUGH PUFF PASTRY

Steps:

• Sift fry ingredients together into a large, chilled mixing bowl. Add cold butter and lard pieces, and working quickly, rub flour and fat together until the texture of coarse meal. If you prefer, you can use a pastry blender or knives. You may also use a mixer or food processor, but take great care not to overmix or overprocess.
• Add 4 Tbsp icy cold water and quickly blend into flour mixture.
• Gather all the dough and crumbs up into a ball. If it is too crumbly and will not hold together, add up to 2 Tbsp more icy cold water, 1 tsp at a time, until it holds together.
• Lightly dust pastry with flour, wrap in wax paper, and chill for 30 minutes.
• Place pastry on lightly floured board and gently press into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Dust flour underneath and on top of pastry. Roll out into a rectangle about 21x6 inches. Fold into thirds to form a three-layer rectangle about x6 inches.
• Turn pastry 1/4 turn, dusting underneath with flour if needed. Roll out again into a 21x6 inch rectangle, and again fold into thirds.
• Repeat two more times, turning a quarter turn before rolling out each time and ending with the pastry folded into a 7x6 inch packet.
• Wrap tightly in wax paper, foil, or a freezer bag and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 3-4 days.

CAVIAR PUFF-PASTRY STARS

Steps:

• On a floured surface roll out the puff pastry 1/8 inch thick and with a 3-inch star-shaped cutter cut out 8 pastry stars. Transfer the stars to a lightly greased baking sheet, brush the tops with the egg wash, being careful not to let the wash drip down the sides, and bake the stars in the middle of a preheated 400°F. oven 12 to 15 minutes, or until they are puffed and golden. Transfer the stars to a rack and let them cool completely. With a sharp small knife carefully split the stars in half horizontally to form a total of 16 stars, leaving the bottoms cut sides up and the tops cut sides down. Just before serving, spoon about 1 teaspoon of the sour cream onto each star, divide the caviar among the stars, and sprinkle the hors d'oeuvres with the chives.

PESTO PASTRY STARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to moderately hot (400°F - 205°C - Gas Mark 6).
• Combine butter and pesto in small bowl. Spread pesto mixture over pastry sheets, sprinkle with cheese.
• Using a 5.5 cm cutter, cut stars from pastry sheets, place onto lightly oiled oven trays.
• Bake, uncovered, for about 10 minutes or until puffed and browned, cool.

PUFF PASTRY

Steps:

• Ok, you get the whole story!
• "Before beginning the adventure with puff paste there is one thing to be explained that will make its compositions comparatively easy.
• (Ha Ha!) The butter used must be washed.
• The purpose of washing it is to make it elastic.
• It should be soft through being kneaded, but in no sense soft through being melted- quite the contrary, it must be soft and cold at the same time.
• In winter turn on the cold water faucet.
• Manipulate the butter with the hands under the stream of cold water until it is creamy and waxy.
• At other seasons, do this in a quart of ice water placed in a bowl of ice.
• The butter may be kneaded with a spoon if preferred.
• The final kneading of the butter is done on a board or it is patted briskly in the hands until no water flies.
• This is the recipe of a professional cook.
• As it calls for egg yolks it differs from the orthodox rule for puff paste.
• However, her results are remarkable and her method is simple, so I am giving it in preference to the usual rather complicated recipes.
• (Ha Ha again, it is complicated!) She stresses 2 points: Keep the hands, the bowl, the board and the rolling pin as cold as possible.
• (Ha Ha, your hands will be frostbitten!) A cold windy day is best for making puff paste.
• "Work with hands,as in the first paragraph, under water, 1 cup of butter.
• Place 1/4 cup butter in a cold bowl.
• Form the remainder into a square and place it where it will keep cold.
• Add to the butter in the bowl, the flour and salt, work these ingredients with a pastry blender, 2 knives or the finger tips.
• Beat and add 1/4 cup ice water and 2 egg yolks, (the yolks may be omitted, in that case use in all, 6 tablespoons of water).
• Work these ingredients well with the hands.
• If necessary add, to loosen the dough from the bowl, a pinch of flour.
• Place the dough were it will be cold but will not freeze, preferably in the open air.
• If it is not possible to do this, fold the dough in a clean cloth and place it in a dripping pan that has been placed between 2 dripping pans filled with ice.
• After 15 minutes, roll the dough into a square on a floured board.
• Roll it one way only, not back and forth.
• A good way is out from the centre.
• Put the square of butter in the centre of the dough and fold the 4 corners to the centre completely covering the butter.
• Permit the dough to stand on a cloth or piece of waxed paper in a cold place for 1/2 hour.
• Turn it once to keep it from becoming dry.
• Roll out the dough again into a square and fold the corners to the centre.
• Permit it to stand again for 1/2 hour.
• Repeat this process.
• The dough must be chilled and rolled at least 4 times in all.
• Chill the dough until you are ready to use it.
• Wrapped in waxed paper it may be kept in the refrigerator for several days.
• Roll it, cut it into shapes.
• Chill it again and bake it.
• One of the secrets of success of puff paste is to have it ice cold when placed in a hot oven.
• The matter of baking puff paste is a moot point.
• In all rules the very cold paste is put into a very hot oven- 500°F.
• In some it is baked at this temperature throughout.
• In this case the pastry is covered with waxed paper after 10 minutes baking.
• In other rules the heat is reduced 50 degrees every 5 minutes until the temperature is 350°F for final baking.
• GOOD LUCK!

CAVIAR PUFF PASTRY STARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• On a floured surface, roll out puff pastry 1/8 inch thick and with a 3 inch star-shaped cutter, cut out 16 pastry stars.
• Transfer to lightly greased baking sheets, brush tops with egg wash, being careful not to let it drip down sides.
• Bake in middle of oven for 12-15 minutes, or until puffed and golden.
• Let cool and split, leaving the bottoms cut-side-up and tops cut-side-down.
• Just before serving, spoon about 1 tsp sour cream onto each star, divide caviar among stars and sprinkle with chives.