Pate Feuilletee Puff Pastry Recipes

Steps:

• Make the butter dough: In the bowl of a food processor or using the flat paddle of an electric mixer, mix 1/2 cup flour with the butter until very smooth. Shape the mixture into a 1-inch-thick flat square, wrap well in plastic, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Make the flour dough: In a large mixing bowl, combine salt with the remaining flour, and add cream. Mix the dough well by hand or with an electric mixer; the dough will not be completely smooth, but it should not be sticky. Shape it into a 1 1/2-inch-thick flat square, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Remove the flour dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured board, roll the dough into a rectangle twice as long as the butter-dough square. Place the butter dough in the center, fold up the ends of the flour dough to completely encase the butter dough, and seal the edges by pinching them together. Wrap well in plastic, and chill for at least 30 minutes so that the dough achieves the same temperature throughout.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator, and on a lightly floured board, roll it out into a large rectangle approximately 1/2 inch thick. Fold the dough into thirds, aligning the edges carefully and brushing off any excess flour. The object is to ensure that the butter is distributed evenly throughout so that the pastry will puff evenly when baked. Wrap the dough, and chill it for at least 30 minutes. This completes one turn.
• Repeat this process five more times; classic puff pastry gets six turns, creating hundreds of layers of butter between layers of the flour dough (729 to be exact). Use as little flour as possible when rolling out the dough, and always brush off any excess. Remember to let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator between turns, or 15 minutes in the freezer. This chilling makes rolling out the dough much easier and keeps the layers of butter equally thick.
• By the sixth and final turn, the dough should be very smooth, with no lumps of butter visible. Wrap the pastry in plastic wrap; refrigerate until ready to use (for up to 2 days), or freeze for future use.

Steps:

• Put the flour, salt, and chilled butter into a large bowl and rub them together with your fingertips until they resemble fine bread crumbs. Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the water. Mix with a knife, then bring the dough together with your hands.
• Squidge into a ball, then wrap in plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for 25 minutes.
• Unwrap the dough ball and use a knife to score a large cross in the middle of it, cutting no more than halfway through. Lift all four corners from the middle of the cross, then pull them up and out to make the cross big enough to put the softened butter into.
• Add the butter, then fold the corners of the cross back to the center, covering the butter so it is completely enclosed. The corners should overlap in the center so no butter is showing. It is important that the butter is not too hard or too soft, otherwise it will escape through the dough when you roll it out and the resulting pastry will not rise as well. If it's too hard, let the ball of pastry stand at room temperature until the butter inside has softened; if it is getting too soft, pop it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to firm up a little before rolling.
• This next process is called "rolling and folding" (or "turns") and it creates the characteristic flaky layers of puff pastry. Begin by rolling the pastry out away from you on a well-floured counter to a rectangle roughly 3 times as long as it is wide (don't turn the pastry when rolling). Keep the corners square and edges straight by pressing a spatula or rule against them. Lift the dough occasionally to make sure it isn't sticking; flour the counter again if necessary and sprinkle with more flour as you go, dusting away any excess with a pastry brush. Take the short edge of the pastry nearest to you and fold it up a third, then fold the top edge down a third to give a rectangular block. Turn the dough 90 degree and then repeat the rolling and folding.
• You have now given the dough two "rolls and folds." Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator. Chill for 20 minutes.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator, then unwrap and give it two more "rolls and folds." Wrap and rest in the refrigerator for at least another 20 minutes. The block of puff pastry can at this point be kept in the refrigerator for a day or two, or frozen.
• Remove from the refrigerator, then unwrap and give the dough a final couple of rolls and folds. Roll it out to the size desired for your chosen recipe. Place on a baking sheet, then cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before using.

Steps:

• Sift the flour and salt onto the work surface. Make a well in the flour. Add the cold water and make a paste using your fingertips, make a paste. Add the melted butter and work into the paste until a rough dough has been created; form it into a square block. With a sharp knife, cut an X on the top and about half way through the block, this help to cut the gluten strands so that they can relax more quickly. Cover the dough with plastic film and refrigerate.
• When the detrempe has rested at least 30 minutes, take the butter (beurrage) out of refrigerator. Plate it between 2 sheets of plastic film and beat it to flatten with a rolling pin. The butter should become pliable without any lumps to it, but should still be very cool. Form it into a square block.
• Take out detrempe, which should be the same consistency of beurrage. Roll the detrempe slightly to make a square, large enough so that it will able to enclose the butter.
• From this point on, be sure to use sufficient flour when rolling and turning the dough; it must not stick to work surface.
• Place the butter over the detrempe, so that it looks like a diamond inside a square. Fold the edges of the dough over the butter to enclose it and pinch it lightly to seal.
• Press the dough with a rolling pin 4 to 5 times along its length until it gets to approximately 9 inches. Then, using flour to dust the work surface, roll it to 22 inches long
• Brush off any excess flour and fold the dough into third. Repeat step 6. The dough now has 2 turns, wrap it with plastic film and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Take it out, do another 2 turns, mark the dough to 4 turns, wrap it and refrigerate for another 20 minutes.
• Take the dough and make the last 2 turns, refrigerate to rest before use, or freeze it for future use.

Steps:

• Mix the melted butter with 1 cup of cold water.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt and water-butter mixture just enough to bind the ingredients together in a dough.
• Place the dough in a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
• Knead the remaining butter until it is truly pliable.
• Remove the dough from the fridge and place on a floured surface.
• Flour it slightly and roll it out into a ten inch square.
• Spread the kneaded butter over the dough to form a 7" x 7" diamond in the center of the square of dough.
• Fold the corners of the dought into the center of the square so that the butter is now enclosed in a square envelope of dough.
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for thirty minutes.
• Next remove the dough to the floured surface, laying it down fold side down. Flour slightly and roll the dough GENTLY (you don't want the butter squirting out) into a rectangle that is 8" x 20".
• Brush off any excess flour and fold the top one third to the center; then fold the bottom third over the top.
• Give the dough a quarter turn clockwise; roll it out again and fold it again and refrigerate for thirty minutes.
• Repeat the rolling, folding procedure two more times, chilling the dough in between each time.
• Your puff paste is now ready for use or can be divided and wrapped carefully in plastic and frozen.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Line a 12-by-18-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry 14 inches long by 5 inches wide and one-eighth-inch thick. Cut the rolled pastry into four rectangles. Sprinkle the parchment with water and place the rectangles an inch-and-a-half apart to allow for expansion during baking. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes or until chilled.
• When the pastry is chilled, beat the egg yolk with two tablespoons of cold water. Brush the tops of the pastry lightly with the egg wash and bake for 20 minutes or until golden.
• Meanwhile, clean and trim the mushrooms and slice them an eighth of an inch thick. In a nonreactive skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring from time to time, just until the mushrooms give off their liquid, about five minutes. Separate the juice from the mushrooms and reserve.
• Trim and peel the asparagus to six-inch lengths. In a pan of lightly salted simmering water, poach the asparagus for five to seven minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and keep warm.
• Place the wine, juice and vinegar in a small nonreactive heavy saucepan over medium heat and slowly bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer until the mixture is reduced to a glaze, about an eighth of a cup. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in about two tablespoons of the butter bits. Return to the heat and whisk in the remaining butter bit by bit. Whisk in the meat glaze and mushroom juice and reserve to the warm side of the stove.
• Using a serrated knife, slice the top half of each pastry from the bottom. Place each bottom slice on an individual warm plate. Divide the mushrooms over each bottom and add the asparagus spears. Coat the asparagus with the sauce and place the top pastry over the asparagus and serve.