2. SWEET PASTE; LA PÂTE SUCRÉE
Sweet pastry is made using the creaming method, butter is
aerated with the sugar before the liquid ingredients are
combined and worked to a smooth cream. This mixture
contains a large amount of fat, so it tends not to work the
flour too much because the flour is added at the last stage.
It is important to remember that the liquid ingredients used
in a paste are composed of fats (for example eggs, instead
of water) there is less chance of the gluten within the flour
being activated, resulting in a flakier and lighter textured
crust.
3. COMMON USES OF SWEET PASTRY
Egg custard
Fruit tart, tartlets and barquettes
French apple flan ( Flan aux pommes)
Lemon tart ( tart au citron)
Lemon meringue pie
Pear and almond tart
Pecan pie
Baked chocolate tart
White chocolate and citrus meringue tart
4. CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW, TO WATCH A VIDEO ON
SWEET PASTRY BEING MADE.
5. TIPS FOR MAKING SWEET PASTRY.
Use butter at room temperature.
If using a machine to make the sweet pastry ensure you use the paddle
attachment.
Sweet pastry is made using soft or all purpose/ plain flour.
Once all the ingredients are mixed in the texture should be soft but not sticky.
Wrap in cling film after making. Create a large surface area by flattening out the
sweet pastry. This will ensure it chills evenly.
Ensure the mixture is well rested in the fridge prior to rolling.
Once rested work the paste on a lightly floured surface to create a ball and a
pliable paste.
Roll out on a lightly floured surface.
Once lined into a flan ring, rest again prior to baking blind.
If you over handle the paste it will cause the gluten to be over worked resulting in
a tough texture.
6. HINT FOR LINING A FLAN RING
Roll out the paste evenly and about 3cm larger than the ring to be lined.
Brush off any excess flour from the paste.
Roll up the paste on the rolling pin. Lay over the flan ring ensure the
rolling pin does not touch the ring other wise the pastry will get cut.
Gently using your fingers, or a piece of left over pastry. Push the paste
into the sides of the flan ring.
Using the rolling pin cut away the excess pastry.
Bake blind by firstly covering the pastry with doubled cling film, then fill
with baking beans.
Rest again prior to baking to minimalise shrinkage.
7. LINING A FLAN CASE
Click on the links below, to watch the two video clips
on lining a flan ring with sweet pastry.
8. BAKING BLIND
Baking blind means cooking with minimal colour.
In order to achieve this the oven needs to be
preheated to 150°C for fan assisted ovens or
160°C for non fan.
A 7 “ flan case filled with baking beans will take
around 25-35 minutes to bake blind.
One way of ensuring the base cooks quickly is to
preheat a tray in the oven and place the lined flan
ring on to the preheated tray.
9. WAYS TO PREVENT THE BAKED BLIND TART
SHELL FROM GOING SOFT.
Once sweet paste has been baked blind it can then be filled with a wet
filling such as a lemon tart mixture. In order to prevent the pastry from
going soft or absorbing the lemon tart filling, brush the pre- baked blind
flan ring with beaten egg and return back to the oven for a minute or so.
This creates a seal and prevents the tart shell from absorbing the liquid
during and after the cooking process.
Fresh Fruit tart- require the pastry to be cooked blind before filling with
pastry cream or crème diplomat. The most common way of preventing the
pastry from going soft is to brush the inside of the tart shell with melted
white or dark chocolate. This is then allowed to harden before filling with
the crème patisserie and then decorated with the fresh fruit and then
glazed.
10. SUET PASTE (PÂTE À GRASSE DE BOEUF)
Suet pastry can be cooked by boiling, steaming or
baking. It is used for plain puddings that are made of
fresh fruit such as apples, gooseberries, blackberries
and for dumplings. If correctly produce it will form a
light and soft cooked paste. The suet will not be evident
in the end cooked product.
The suet must not be melted before use, but can be
minced or shredded as fine as possible prior to being
added to flour and cold water.
11. HISTORY ON SUET PASTRY
Suet pastry dates backed to the
Victorian times. Desserts such as jam
roly poly and spotted dick were
created during these times. Suet
pastry was often served up as a
sweet dish, but savoury recipes do
exist as well.
12. VIDEO ON SUET PASTE BEING MADE
Link below to recipe for suet pastry
http://www.deliaonline.com/how-tocook/baking/how-to-make-suetpastry.html
13. WHAT IS SUET
Suet is the fat found around the beef kidneys. As it is
the fat from around the kidneys, the connective tissue,
blood and other non-fat items must be removed. It then
needs to be coarsely grated to make it ready to use. It
must be kept refrigerated prior to use and used within a
few days of purchase, just like meat.
Vegetable suet is available in most supermarkets.
Vegetarian suet is made from fat such as palm
oil combined with rice flour. It resembles shredded beef
suet, and is used as a vegetarian substitute in recipes,
but with slightly different results from animal suet.
14. POSSIBLE REASONS FOR FAULTS IN SUET PASTE
Heavy and soggy
Too low cooking temperature.
Leakage in cartouche or silicon wrapping
Too much liquid added.
Hard texture
Over handling
Over cooked.
15. HOW TO STEAM A SUET PUDDING
Below is a link to a video explaining how to steam a pudding the
first video is by Lesley Walters.
Then click on the ‘How to Steam a pudding’ for a link to the BBC
Good Food website for a demonstration on how to wrap steam a
pudding.