"It is well to remember that the entire population of the universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." A.Holmes

Friday, February 12, 2010

Jamie Oliver's Sweet Pastry~

This is the last Jamie Oliver Friday I will do for awhile. There are a few more recipes I want to post but they are very seasonal and this is NOT the season for them, and then there is the one last recipe that requires a lot of wild game which my husband has brought home from the hunt and he will prepare it , in his time. This is the sweet pastry, which in the book is directly opposite the savory recipe I posted last week. I like this pastry but instead of using it as a fruit pie pastry as Jamie suggests, I will in the future use it as a ONE crust pie pastry for cream pies, or lemon meringue.The pastry is rich enough for me to be dessert by itself! You will need:
  • 3 1/2 cups organic all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting ( *I did not have organic, just used regular)
  • 1 cup icing (* confectioners' ) sugar
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons good quality cold butter , cut into small cubes
  • zest of one lemon
  • 2 large eggs
  • a splash of milk (* and he means JUST a splash)
  • flour for dusting
"Sift the flour from a height onto a clean work surface (* from a height?) and sift the icing sugar over the top. Using your hands , work the cubes of butter into the flour and sugar by rubbing your thumbs against your fingers until you end up with a fine crumbly mixture. This is the point where you can spike the mixture with interesting flavors, so mix in your lemon zest." "Add the eggs and milk to the mixture and gently work it together till you have a ball of dough. Flour it lightly . Don't work the pastry too much at this stage or it will become elastic and chewy, not crumbly and short. Flour your work surface and place the dough on top. Pat it into a flat round , flour it lightly , wrap in plastic wrap and put it into the fridge to rest for at least half an hour." Jamie Oliver I pulled this out of the oven around midnight and had to let it cool to taste it. The pastry is delicious, my winter apples are a disappointment. Even with the right amount of sugar, cinnamon, and lemon...the lack of flavor the apples show cannot be disguised. My lesson here is that if I am going to invest such rich ingredients and my time into a recipe I will make sure ALL the ingredients are worthy! I think my sheep will appreciate the remaining winter apples from our trees NOT baked into a pie. * asterisk denotes my comments or words

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is a beautiful pie Kathy. Sorry to hear the apples were not flavorful. Your animals will enjoy the treat of apples for Valentine's Day though. Wishing you and Jim a wonderful weekend.

Connie said...

Well, that is a gorgeous looking pie! It looks like a piece of art! It's unfortunate the apples didn't measure up to what you had hoped, but I guess you can look forward to making the pastry another time and using it another way.

LindaSue said...

shame about the apples - the pie is a work of art! The Jamie Oliver cookbook has given you some interesting ideas - not all completely to your taste but fun to expand our repertoire!

noble pig said...

Well it turned out beautifu regardless...love the heart on there!

A. Joy said...

Well it looks really good! I've been thinking of making an apple pie and thought I might do it today if I find the time. Great job on the top crust! Really pretty!

Mary said...

God gave us different talents. You definitely have an eye for beauty and creativity.

Have a great weekend, Kathy.

I am going to try to work in the shop and enjoy quiet time in the house as well. I want to feel like a homebody again. Between the weather and busyness I need to feel some grounding.

Stella Jones said...

The pie looks delicious to me and I love the little heart decoration cut into the top.
You are right about the apples though. Some just aren't up to it are they!
In England we use Bramley Apples for pies. They keep their shape and taste delicious. Do you have those over there?
Blessings, Star

English Cottage in Georgia said...

Oh Kathy, the pie is beautiful...such a disappointment to bite into it and find it less than tasty. It may as well be store purchased - look good and taste less than ....
I adore the sidebar picture of you and your hubby surrounded by your children and grandchildren - blessed you are:-)

Mary Bergfeld said...

What a gorgeous looking pie. I suspect this one of your areas of expertise. I hope you are having a wonderful day. Blessings...Mary

Wobegon Cottage said...

Oh Kathy...I think sometimes we are kindred spirits...Paul and I stopped at the store and they were sampling a pie with a lemon pastry...WILD BERRY BLAST PIE, I can't believe it but I bought one. The lemon pastry really gave it something extra. I DO NOT like store bought crust( I will eat the filling however)This crust was actually quite good(not homemade but good) There were blackberries, blueberries , raspberries and of all things cranberries ..and a little lemon zest. I will of course try and copy it as soon as I find a good lemon pastry. Does yours have the slight taste of lemon or is it just sweet?

KathyB. said...

Thank-you all for the nice words about my pie! In spite of all the sugar and butter in the crust it was not too sweet, but very rich. Yes Alice, there is a slight lemon tang. I think I will use this from now on as a one-crust pie , for cream pies as my husband and I decided we prefer my regular pastry for pie!