CULINARY MONDAY- PATE BRISEE & BARQUETTES

PATE BRISEE: (paht bree-ZAY): A French term for a short pastry. Like a pie crust only more rich & flaky. Dough can be used for sweet or savory dishes like pies, tarts, quiche or barquettes.

BARQUETTES: (bahr- KHET) A cute, small, boat shaped pastry crust that is used for hors d' oeuvres or desserts.

PATE BRISEE

1 stick plus 1 tablespoon of butter

1 3/4 cup of all purpose flour

1 large egg, plus 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon of water & 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

1-2 tablespoons of water added as needed.

Cut the stick of butter into approximately 32 small pieces, toss with the flour in bowl and place flour & butter in freezer to get very cold. (About 20 minutes)

Dump the cold mixture on a work surface and work the dough just enough to blend the butter in, making small crumb like texture. Crush the butter into flat pieces, but DO NOT over work or let the butter melt from the heat of your hands. Form the dough into a ball making a well in the center and mounding up on the sides.

Pour the egg mixture into the center of the well. Using one hand, swirl around the eggs into the flour until all of it is incorporated. Press the dough and fold over several time until dough is worked, adding the water as needed to keep it soft and not crumbly. Once the dough is soft, form into a round ball & place in the refrigerator in a dish. Chill no less than 30 minutes. After chilling, roll out in whatever shape you desire. It will be a little hard so you'll need to whack it with the rolling pin to flatten out. Again, do not let the dough get too warm. You want the butter to retain some of the coolness resulting in a more flaky crust.

When rolling, use as little flour on the surface as possible. Adding too much will result in a tough, dry crust.

Cooking: When using wet fillings, prebake the crust or it will never get cooked in the middle. (Remember this when using any pastry crust to get best results). Next, poke holes in the center of crust, line with PARCHMENT paper (not waxed) pour some rice in the center, bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes or until a soft, light brown color on the edges remove the liner and bake 5 more minutes.