Pie Pastry

I use the Julia Childs Pie Pastry Recipe. I use this for any type of savoury or sweet pie.

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups (8 ounces, 250g) of all purpose flour. Try to find unbleached, it results in better pastry.
1 tsp salt (5 grams)
5 ounces chilled butter (200g)
1/3 to 1/2 cup iced water (1 decilitre)

Method
Cut butter into cubes, keep it as cold as possible. I usually cut it and put it in the freezer for a minute or two whilst getting the other ingredients ready. I find, the colder the butter & water, the better the pastry.

Combine flour and salt in blender
Pulse for 5 seconds to mix
Add half the butter, pulse until butter is broken down int osmaller pieces. About 5-10 seconds in blender.
Add the remaining butter, pulse until mixture looks like rolled oats.
Slowly add the water, continue pulsing. Add enough water until the pastry forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the blender.

Remove mixture from blender, gently form into a flat disc shape about an inch high and 6 inches in diameter. Flour the disc shape, and wrap it in glad wrap and put in fridge for 2 hours.
Remove from fridge, let sit for 5 minutes, roll out pastry, lay over pie tin and mould gently. Pastry should not be too thin. Mould lightly buttered aluminium foil over pastry and either freeze for 20 minutes, or fridge for 1 hr.

Preheat oven to 180.
Add beans, rice or pastry weights to pie tin onto of foil.
Bake for 7-8 minutes, prick bottom of pie pastry with a fork, bake for another 4 minutes.
Remove foil and beans, and bake for another 2-3 minutes until very light brown.
Remove from oven and cool in tin.

Passionfruit Slice

Ingredients:
Biscuit Base:
125g Melted Butter
1 cup Self-Raising Flour
1 cup Dessicated coconut
1 cup Castor sugar


Topping:
1 Chilled can condensed milk
¼ cup Lemon juice
2 or 3 Passionfruit


Method:
Preheat oven to 170'C (130'C if fan forced).
Mix together all biscuit ingredients. Press into 11”x7” (28x19cm) bake tray. Bake 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool.

Combine topping ingredients, spread over base. Bake 3-5 minutes – no more. Chill before serving.

If using FF oven use min. time for baking & even reduce temp a bit.

Red Capsicum Dip

Ingredients:
3 Diced red capsicums
1½ cups Brown vinegar
1½ cups Brown sugar
250g Light Philadelphia Cream Cheese

Method:
1. Simmer capsicum, vinegar and sugar together for about 30 minutes (lid off). Liquid will reduce by about 1/3rd.
2. Pour over cream cheese and serve.
3. Liquid can be stored in a tightly sealed jar and refrigerated.

The only son.

AJ

Mum thought you'd feel left out, so I found the cutest picture of you.

Curry Puffs

Ingredients:
250g (8 oz) Minced steak
Salt
Pepper
1 tblspn Soy sauce
1 tblspn Oil
1 tblspn Grated green ginger
1 Onion
1 tblspn Curry powder
1 Beef stock cube
1 tspn Cornflour
2 tblspn Water
375g (12 oz) Puff Pastry
Oil for deep frying

Method:
Combine minced steak, salt, pepper and soy sauce, mix well. Heat oil in pan, sauté peeled and finely chopped onion and green ginger until onion is transparent. Stir in curry powder, cook 1 minute. Add meat mixture to pan, stir until meat is well browned; drain off excess fat. Blend cornflour with water, add to meat mixture with crumbled stock cube, cook further 1 minute; allow to cool.

Roll out pastry very thinly on lightly floured surface, cut into rounds with 8cm cutter. Put a teaspoonful of mixture on to each round, glaze edges of pastry with water, fold in half, press edges together. Deep-fry in hot oil until golden. Drain on absorbent paper. Makes 24. These can be served with drinks, with ginger chutney for dipping. Heat 1 cup fruit chutney, 1 teaspoon grated green ginger and 1 teaspoon soy sauce.

Chocolate Nut Slice

Mum's modifications are in brackets

100g soft margarine (250G Butter)
3/4 cup plain flour (2 cups)
1 cup sugar (2 cups)
4 tbsp cocoa (6 tbsp)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (1 cup)
2 eggs (4 eggs)

Beat all ingredients together for 2 mins
Placed in a greased 11 x 7 lamington tin
Bake in moderate oven 30-40 mins
Cut and remove while still hot