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Pastries
Pastry is the name given to a particular kind of dough which is used as a base in many baked food items such as strudel, pie and croissants. The different kinds of pastry are shortcrust, flaky, puff, choux and filo.
612 Questions
The pastry bag, also known as the piping bag, was invented by the famous pastry chef Marie Antoine Careme (not to be confused with Marie Antoinette). He pioneered many things while cooking for famous people such as royalty, one of which was the modern signature trait of any chef today; the chef's hat, aka the toque (before it was used to refer to knit caps, otherwise known as beanies).
What is the use of a pastry blender?
A pastry blender is used to cut shortening into the flour mixture for flaky pastry. To get the flakiest pastry, it's important not to mix the shortening and the flour together but to layer them, that's what makes the flakes.
To accomplish this, the shortening should be solid shortening and be ice cold while you work with it because if the shortening warms, it will soak into the flour before flakes can be formed. Some chefs place their bowl of flour and shortening into a bowl of ice to ensure that the shortening stays cold while they're combining the two.
Most pastrys have a rising agent like short pastry hassrong flour to make it rise, but choux pastry deppends on the liquid that is throughout the patsry to steam during the cookery process, so it depends souly on air vapour :)
- Trainee Chef :)
What is the definition of pastry wheel in baking?
A pastry wheel or pastry jagger is a handled tool with a thin sharp wheel, used for marking and cutting rolled-out dough. Mostly used in cutting Pizzas
Why is Pastry is hard and has a tough texture?
Toughness in pastries and cakes could be caused by a few things, including too much dry ingredients in the mix, not enough butter, eggs that did not leven correctly, or over-baking.
Suet is the hard white fat found around the kidneys and groin area of beef cattle.
Who invented shortcrust pastry?
The Scottish say they invented shortbread 400 years ago, but the inimitably decadent mix of flour, butter and sugar has no one birthplace. Spanish speakers call their shortbread polvorones; the French, sablés ("sand tarts"). Even China and India have variations .
What are facts about pastry chefs?
Unlike bread chefs who need warm hands, it's best the pastry chefs have cold hands. :)
they get to do about anything their minds come up with and get paid for it,like getting paid to think!
How did eclairs become popular?
The eclair is a product of food evolution. There is some conjecture that perhaps Antonin Careme (1784-1833), a famous pastry chef for French royalty might have created something akin to eclairs. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the term "eclair" in the English language to 1861 "Vanity Fair [magazine]2 Feb 50/1 A Waiter, whereon, stood..a plate of macaroons, eclairs and sponge cake." In French, the word eclair means a flash of lightning.
Which pastry is used for fruit flans?
None. A properly made flan contains no pastry. The ingredients are eggs, sugar, cream, and flavoring. To prepare the flan, caramelized sugar is poured into the bottom of a glass or ceramic baking dish. A custard is made from mixing the eggs, cream, and flavoring, along with a little more sugar. The custard mixture is poured over the caramelized sugar in the baking dish, and the whole thing is put in a slow oven to bake. Overbaking coagulates the eggs and turns the flan into a grainy mess, so it needs to be monitored carefully. It's done when a cake tester comes out clean. To serve, cool, loosen the sides if necessary with a knife, and flip the baking dish over onto a plate. The flan may be accompanied by whipped cream and/or fruit.
Some common flavorings include orange, lemon, or coconut. I've also had chocolate flan, which contains cocoa powder or melted chocolate in the custard mixture. Delicious!
If the flan you had seems to have a pastry crust, either the chef deviated from the standard recipe a bit and added a crust, or the flan was baked too long and the eggs crusted over. I recently had a flan in a Mexican restaurant that added cinnamon graham cracker crumbs as a crust. Good, but not standard.
Why do you have to put pastry in the fridge?
you have to put it in the fridge so it will make the pastry go less vunerable
Why is strong flour used when making choux pastry?
You are making a type of pastry used for choclate eclairs, profiteroles, croquembouche or Paris Brest. It must bake quickly in the oven, puffing up so that it is filled with air, but with the pastry setting crisp and firm so that it retains its shape when you take it from the oven.
A strong flour has more gluten (the protein in wheat). Protein hardens when it is heated. If the choux is to be filled with custard or cream, for example, it is important that it is strong and dry so it doesn't turn wet and flabby.
When you take choux buns from the oven pierce them immediately with a sharp knife or cut a small cross in the bottom before placing them on a rack to cool. This allows the steam to escape and also creates a hole through which to place the nozzle of the piping bag when you fill them. They can be quite brittle so you want to reduce the handling as far as possible. Don't fill them until the last possible moment before they are served.
What is the Italian word for pastry shop?
Panetteria and panificio are Italian equivalents of the English phrase "bread shop." Context makes clear whether the business sells (case 1) or makes (example 2) breads. The respective pronunciations will be "pa-NET-tey-REE-a" and "PA-nee-FEE-tcho" in Italian.
Are biscuits a type of pastry?
No, although biscuits may be sold in a pastry shop, they are not a type of pastry. A "pastry" has to contain some pastry to be a pastry. Pastry is generally designed to be light and crumbly, whereas biscuits are not.
What pastry is used to make dim sum?
- Gao (餃, Dumpling; 餃子 gau zi, Gow gee): Gao is a standard in most teahouses. They are made of ingredients wrapped in a translucent rice flour or wheat starch skin, and are different from jiaozi found in other parts of China. Though common, steamed rice-flour skins are quite difficult to make. Thus, it is a good demonstration of the chef's artistry to make these translucent dumplings. There are also dumplings with vegetarian ingredients, such as tofu and pickled cabbage.
- Shrimp Dumpling (蝦餃 har gau): A delicate steamed dumpling with whole or chopped-up shrimp filling and thin wheat starch skin.
- Chiu-chao style dumplings (潮州粉果 chiu-chau fun guo): A dumpling said to have originated from the Chaozhou prefecture of eastern Guangdong province, it contains peanuts, garlic, chives, pork, dried shrimp, Chinese mushrooms in a thick dumpling wrapper made from glutinous rice flour or Tang flour. It is usually served with a small dish of chili oil.
- Potsticker (鍋貼, woh tip) Northern Chinese style of dumpling (steamed and then pan-fried jiaozi), usually with meat and cabbage filling. Note that although potstickers are sometimes served in dim sum restaurants, they are not considered traditional Cantonese dim sum.
- Shaomai (燒賣 siu mai): Small steamed dumplings with either pork, prawns or both inside a thin wheat flour wrapper. Usually topped off with crab roe and mushroom.
- Haam Sui Gaau (鹹水餃, salt-water (i.e. savoury) stuffed-dumpling, alternatively 鹹水角 (haam Sui Gok): deep fried oval-shaped dumpling made with rice-flour and filled with pork and chopped vegetables. The rice-flour surrounding is sweet and sticky, while the inside is slightly salty.
- Bau (包 bau): Baked or steamed, these fluffy buns made from wheat flour are filled with food items ranging from meat to vegetables to sweet bean pastes.
- Char siu baau (叉燒包, char siu baau): the most popular bun with a Cantonese barbecued pork filling. It can be either steamed to be fluffy and white or baked with a light sugar glaze to produce a smooth golden-brown crust.
- Shanghai steamed buns (上海小籠包 seong hoi siu lung bau): These dumplings are filled with meat or seafood and are famous for their flavor and rich broth inside. These dumplings are originally Shanghainese so they are not considered traditional Cantonese dim sum. They are typically sold with pork as a filling.
- Rice noodle rolls or cheong fun (腸粉 cheong fun): These are wide rice noodles that are steamed and then rolled. They are often filled with different types of meats or vegetables inside but can be served without any filling. Rice noodle rolls are fried after they are steamed and then sprinkled with sesame seeds. Popular fillings include beef, dough fritter, shrimp, and barbecued pork. Often topped with a sweetened soy sauce.
- Phoenix talons (鳳爪 fung zao): These are chicken feet, deep fried, boiled, marinated in a black bean sauce and then steamed. This results in a texture that is light and fluffy (due to the frying), while moist and tender. Fung zau are typically dark red in color. One may also sometimes find plain steamed chicken feet served with a vinegar dipping sauce. This version is known as "White Cloud Phoenix Talons" (白雲鳳爪, bak wun fung jau).
- Steamed meatball (牛肉球 ngau4 juk6 kau4): Finely-ground beef is shaped into balls and then steamed with preserved orange peel and served on top of a thin bean-curd skin.
- Spare ribs: In the west, it is mostly known as spare ribs collectively. In the east, it is Char siu when roasted red, or (排骨 paai4 gwat1, páigǔ) when roasted black. It is typically steamed with douchi or fermented black beans and sometimes sliced chilli.
- Lotus leaf rice (糯米雞 Lou mai gai): Glutinous rice is wrapped in a lotus leaf into a triangular or rectangular shape. It contains egg yolk, dried scallop, mushroom, water chestnut and meat (usually pork and chicken). These ingredients are steamed with the rice and although the leaf is not eaten, its flavour is infused during the steaming. Lo mai gai is a kind of rice dumpling. A similar but lighter variant is known as "Pearl Chicken" (珍珠雞 Jan jyu gai).
- Congee (粥 juk1): Thick, sticky rice porridge served with different savory items. The porridge one will see most often is "Duck Egg and Pork Porridge" (皮蛋瘦肉粥 "pei daan sau ruk juk")
- Sou (酥 sou): A type of flaky pastry. Char siu is one of the most common ingredient used in dim sum style sou. Another common pastry seen in restaurants are called "Salty Pastry" (鹹水角 "haam sui gok") which is made with flour and seasoned pork.
- Taro dumpling (芋角 Wu gok): This is made with mashed taro, stuffed with diced shiitake mushrooms, shrimp and pork, deep-fried in crispy batter.
- Crispy fried squid (魷魚鬚 yau yu sou): Similar to fried calamari, the battered squid is deep-fried. A variation of this dish may be prepared with a salt and pepper mix. In some dim sum restaurants, octopus is used instead of squid.
- Rolls (捲)
- Spring roll (春捲 cheun gyun): a roll consisting of various types of vegetables - such as sliced carrot, cabbage, mushroom and wood ear fungus - and sometimes meat are rolled inside a thin flour skin and deep fried.
- Tofu skin roll (腐皮捲 fu pei guen): a roll made of Tofu skin
- Cakes (糕)
- Turnip cake (蘿蔔糕 lo bak go): cakes are made from mashed daikon radish mixed with bits of dried shrimp and pork sausage that are steamed and then cut into slices and pan-fried.
- Taro cake (芋頭糕): cakes made of taro.
- Water chestnut cake (馬蹄糕 maa tai gow): cakes made of water chestnut. It is mostly see-through and clear. Some restaurants also serve a variation of water chestnut cake made with bamboo juice.
- Chien chang go (千層糕 cin cang gou): "Thousand-layer cake", a dim sum dessert made up of many layers of sweet egg dough.
- Egg tart (蛋撻 dan tat): composed of a base made from either a flaky puff pastry type dough or a type of non-flaky cookie dough with an egg custard filling, which is then baked. Some high class restaurants put bird's nest on top of the custard. In other places egg tarts can be made of a crust and a filling of egg whites and some where it is a crust with egg yolks. Some egg tarts now have flavors such as taro, coffee, and other flavors. There are also different kinds of crust. There is also a flaky crisp outer crust with layers and layers of crunchy crumbs.
- Jin deui or Matuan (煎堆 or 麻糰): Especially popular at Chinese New Year, a chewy dough filled with red bean paste, rolled in sesame seeds, and deep fried.
- Dou fu fa (豆腐花): A dessert consisting of silky tofu served with a sweet ginger or jasmine flavored syrup.
- Mango pudding (芒果布甸 mong guo bo din): A sweet, rich mango-flavoured pudding usually with large chunks of fresh mango; often served with a topping of evaporated milk.
- Sweet cream buns (奶皇包 naai5 wong4 baau1): Steamed buns with milk custard filling.
- Malay Steamed Sponge Cake (馬拉糕 ma5 lai1 gou1): A very soft steamed sponge cake flavoured with molasses.
- Longan Tofu: almond-flavoured tofu served with longans, usually cold.
No time at all - 5 mins or less by machine
Basically it's flour,fat and a liquid
Very basic pastry shortcrust dough
Flour and lard, a little water and a pinch of salt - best texture
Flour and butter, a little water and a pinch of salt - best taste but often crumbles apart
Flour and butter and lard, a little water and a pinch of salt - good mix for taste and flavour
(8oz,4oz,2-4 tbls, pinch) (220g,110g,2-4tbls, pinch)
(if you are using salted buter you may not need the additional salt)
By Hand
Cut the fat into small pieces, by lightly squeezing the fat and flour between your fingers. Eventuallythe fat gets incorpoarted and the mixture looks like a sandy crumb. Add a little water to bind the crumb together until a firm ball of pastry is formed.
By Blender
Blend the flour and fat together until a crumb is formed, keep blending as you add a little water. Eventually a ball of pastry is formed.
Swee shortcrust pastry/ Enriched pastry for tarts, etc
Flour and butter, sugar egg and a little milk or water and a pinch of salt
(8oz,4oz,30z,1,2-4 tbls, pinch) (220g,110,80g, 1, 2-4 tbls,pinch)
Make the crumb, add the sugar then the egg and milk to make a ball of soft, firm dough.
What foods are made with filo pastry?
Filo pastry is that paper thin, melt in your mouth stuff that can be made into Baklava, Spanokopitta, and many other Greek, Middle-Eastern, or Turkish delights. It is always layered in multiples with melted butter or olive oil in between each layer.
Why do you sieve the flour and salt in pastry?
We used to sieve flour because it makes it easier to mix with other ingredients for a more complete mix. You could also just sieve all dry ingredients along with the flour if you want to be thorough.
What is the proportion of fat to flour in flaky pastry?
The proportion of fat to flour depends largely on the type of pastry dough you are talking about, and what your fat source is. For pie crust dough, I've seen the ideal ratio described as 1 part fat to 2 parts flour. However, that ratio applies just to the ratio of one ingredient to another, not to the ultimate percentage of fat involved.
Butter and shortening, for example, are not equivalent, and don't have the same fat content: shortening is 100% fat, whereas butter is around 80% fat (and the fat content can vary by brand).
If you were referring to actual pastry dough, the percentage of fat to flour is going to differ more greatly. A popover dough for example, is going to contain a lot less butter than a pastry based on a puff pastry dough, croissants, for example.
Where can you get pastry shoes?
If you live in the UK you can get them from footlocker. if you live in the USA you can get the from:
Dr Jays, Eblens, Jimmy Jazz, Mr Alans, Finish line, Sneaker ville, Sport zone, Shoe City, Run Athletics, Macy's,Footaction, Dillards and EastBay. In Canada you can get them from: AtEaze, FootLocker, XTC, and probably any other urban chique store. They also sell them online, if you wanna buy a credit card that only lasts a year or so. Those credit cards you can get them in Canada at: Shoppers Drug Mart, RBC, PharmaPlus. I think it depends on your city,state,Country, Province. Those stores I mentioned are all located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. That's all the shops I know. Hope this helps.
What is the difference between pastry and bakery products?
Pastry is made from flour a little water and butter/shortening oil and somtimes sugar. It is primary used to encase sweet or savoury foods. Sometimes pastrty can stand alone like choclate fantasy.
A cake is a stand alone dessert which along with butter/shortening oil and flour also contains a mild raising agents eggs and some form of liquid usually milk cake are usually turned out to cool before being iced, frosted or decorated.
They are always sweet food. Generally cakes have a spongy and slightly moist feel and should bounced back when pressed firmly but not hard. For example Carrot cake and Black forest gateux.
