Quick Puff Pastry
1 3/4 cups cake flour
1 ml salt
200 g cold butter
+- 80 ml ice-cold water ( I used 80 ml cold water it was sufficient )
1 medium egg lightly beaten for glazing
Sift flour and salt
Divide butter into three equal portions
Rub one portion in with your fingertips until mixture looks like bread crumbs
Add water, cut into pastry with a knife and knead lightly to a firm pastry
Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface into a rectangular shape 26 X 32 cm.
Grate another portion of butter over pastry.
Fold like an envelope to close and roll out again.
Grate 3rd portion of butter over pastry and fold to close again.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour
Halve pastry. Roll out on a floured surface to a thickness of 3 mm.
Line a greased baking dish as required.
Add your savoury mince filling that has been cooled.
Roll the second half of pastry and place over filling.
Make a slit in the centre to allow steam to escape.
Apply beaten egg with brush to glaze pastry
Bake in preheated oven at 220 C for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
SAVOURY MINCE PIE FILLING
400 g Extra Lean Beef mince
400 g Pork mince
Or you can use lamb mince or just plain beef
** The combination of beef and pork mince is very yummy
2 medium chopped onions
2 cloves minced garlic
3 celery sticks chopped thinly
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp tomato purΓ©e
1 large tomato grated
2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce or Soya Sauce
1 1/2 cups beef stock
2 large carrots cubed
2 large potatoes cubed
About 5 button mushrooms sliced
Salt to taste, black pepper to taste, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp dried majoram, 11/2 tsps dried parsley. If you have fresh herbs all the better.
In a saucepan sautΓ© the onion, garlic, celery in olive oil until tender, add mushrooms cook a further 2 minutes then add tomato purΓ©e, tomato, Worcestershire and seasoning.
Add stock liquid and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add chopped carrots and potatoes and simmer for 15 minutes further.
The liquid should have cooked away and the mince quite dry otherwise the bottom of pie will be soggy.
Allow to cool completely before adding as filling for a pie.
Credit source : Snowflake Flour
Prepared, tried and tested by:Β Gail Haselsteinerβ