Savory Cheese Pastry, Small Canapes, Pastry Boats, Tartlet with Fillings

Instructions

FOR THE SAVORY CHEESE PASTRY: Set oven at moderately hot 375 F.

Sift the flour into a bowl with the salt, pepper and cayenne. Rub in the shortening with the fingertips until the mixture resembles crumbs. Stir in the cheese and gradually add the egg yolk mixture. Work lightly to make a dough and chill at least 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured board, roll out the dough until about 1/4 inch thick and cut into rounds 1 1/4 inches in diameter. Or line the pastry into the boat or tartlet molds. Place on a baking sheet lined with foil or silicone paper and bake in heated oven for 7 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned.

WATCHPOINT: do not put this kind of cheese pastry directly on the baking sheet. Such small canapés can easily become too brown in a very short time—in the time it takes to lift the first half dozen from the baking sheet, the remaining pastries can scorch. By lifting the foil or silicone paper (parchment paper) straight from the hot baking sheet to a cooling rack you can remove all the pastries at once.

HOW TO MAKE PASTRY BOATS AND TARTLET SHELLS:

Houseware sections of large department stores or kitchen specialty shops often carry interesting tiny boat and tartlet molds made of tine. The most and best tartlet tins are 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 inches in diameters. These small shapes make a canapé that is one mouthful.

To line the molds with dough, arrange the molds close together near the pastry board. Three molds on top and two molds under, between the first and second mold.

Roll out the dough on the board until just under 1/4 inch thick. Lift onto the rolling pin and lay gently on top of the molds. Take a small round piece of dough and dip it in flour. Use this dough to work the pastry dough down into each boat or tartlet mold (don’t use your fingers or it might rip the dough).

Take the rolling pin and roll it over the tops of the little molds. This neatly cuts the pastry off the top of each one. Lift up each tin mold and pat the pastry down with your thumb dipped flour.

Place a small piece of wax paper or foil crumpled, and a few grains of rice into each mold. Paper and rice hold the pastry in position while it bakes. Bake blind in a moderately hot oven 375 F. for about 8 minutes or until the pastry is lightly browned. Remove the paper and rice and leave the pastry shells until nearly cold before removing them from the mold.

FOR THE LOBSTER BOATS: This makes 24-30 boats. Cut the lobster meat into small pieces and let marinate in the vinaigrette dressing while bake boat molds of cheese pastry.

Drain the lobster and mix it well with the celery and parsley. Stir in just enough mayonnaise to bind the mixture together and spoon it into the boat molds. Sprinkle the tops with the chopped watercress.

FOR THE ASPARAGUS TARTLETS: Makes 24 to 30 tartlets. Roll out the savory cheese pastry dough and line the boat molds. Bake them blind and cool pastry boats before removing from molds.

Drain the cooked asparagus on paper towels. Trim each spear to the size of a pastry boat. Spoon vinaigrette dressing and the mixed herbs over the asparagus and let stand to absorb the flavors.

Soften the cream cheese and beat in salt and pepper to taste. Spoon it into the pastry boats, leveling the cheese with a small spatula. Arrange a spear of asparagus drained of dressing, on top of the cheese in the pastry boat.


FOR THE STUFFED OLIVE CANAPES: To make the savory butter; cream the butter and beat in the chutney and egg yolks to make a smooth paste. Season well with salt and pepper.

To pit olives: make a small cut across the top of the olive (not all the way through). Keeping the blade of the knife against the pit, cut in a spiral pattern removing flesh as you cut. Remove flesh from the bottom of the pit and the pitted olive will retain its shape.

Spread a little savory butter on each canapé; put remaining butter in a small paper decorating cone and snip off the tip. Pipe savory butter into each olive. Place a stuffed olive in the center of each canapé and shape an anchovy fillet around it.

For the decoration: mix the butter together with anchovy paste to taste and tint with a little red food coloring, if you like. Put into the second paper decorating cone fitted with the star tube, and pipe a tiny rosette on the top of each olive.

NOTE: the egg white can be chopped and sprinkled on top of the olive, or it can be reserved for decorating other canapés.


Grand Diplome Cooking Course

Author's Comments

Use this pastry for canapés and small boat and tartlet molds. This quantity makes about 24 to 30 canape rounds (1 1/4 inch diameter), or 12 to 15 boat molds or tartlet molds. The pastry recipe can be DOUBLED satisfactorily.

Quantity terms: Terms like 1 cup quantity of pastry (or 2 cup quantity) refer to the amount obtained by using 1 cup (or 2 cups) flour NOT 1 cup prepared dough.

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