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Post by Becky (Berkeleytravelers) on Jun 14, 2007 14:26:06 GMT -5
Okay, I know that real cooks don't do this , but I found a brand of frozen pastry crust that makes it extremely easy to make tarts and pies in a hurry. It's also v.g. , for a premade product. It's called "French Picnic" and it's basically nothing but butter, flour and salt in thin round sheets. I use it in the summer for tomato (and tomato/onion) tarts, when the vines start putting out bumper crops and I don't have time to make (or get a little tried of) roasted tomato soup from the overabundance. I also use it for quiche, fruit tarts/pies, etc. If others have used it (or know something better) I'd be interested to hear about it.
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Post by Truffaut on Jun 14, 2007 15:16:20 GMT -5
There's not a woman alive in France who doesn't use either frozen puff pastry or who buys it fresh from the local pastry shop. NOBODY makes their own puff pastry.
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Post by Becky (Berkeleytravelers) on Jun 14, 2007 15:20:25 GMT -5
Thanks for letting me off the hook, but we're not talking about something complicated like puff pastry -- this is just good old pie/tart crust! [glow=red,2,300]And I'm not sorry -- do you real cooks hear me -- not sorry!![/glow] LOL!
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Post by Truffaut on Jun 14, 2007 21:41:36 GMT -5
Oh, it's just plain pastry. You should be ashamed of yourself! Pastry is the easiest thing in the world to make. Just 4 ingredients (5 if you like to mix shortening and butter).
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Post by Shoesy on Jun 14, 2007 22:16:57 GMT -5
Even I know how to make pastry!!! I'm not saying I actually DO it, though.
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Post by Becky (Berkeleytravelers) on Jun 14, 2007 23:27:07 GMT -5
Okay, okay -- I'm ashamed , but, I'm still going to buy this!
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grunblack
Full Member
Can't wait to get back...
Posts: 132
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Post by grunblack on Jun 15, 2007 6:18:02 GMT -5
I love to cook, but if you find a premade product that works well I say go for it, leaves more time to experiment with other dishes I'll have to see if we have something like that is Australia
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Post by Happygoin on Jun 15, 2007 7:20:29 GMT -5
You know what? I make my own puff pastry. But ONLY because the Pepperidge Farm stuff isn't made with butter. It's made with shortening. Now what kind of puff pastry is THAT!!?? And it's not like I make it every week. If I could find a product, frozen or otherwise, that was made with flour, salt, butter (or even a combination of butter and shortening) and water...maybe an egg depending on the filling, then I might buy it. I am all for convenience, but the fact is, I enjoy cooking and baking from scratch. And, with a food processor, making pastry or pizza dough from scratch is so quick and easy. I have nothing against people using convenience items, but so many of the items either don't have any flavor or they are full of chemicals. Yuk.
Becky, where did you buy the product? A Whole Foods store? And btw, you can invite me over for one of those tomato tarts any day. They sound delish!
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Post by Truffaut on Jun 15, 2007 7:59:35 GMT -5
That's one of the nice things about France. If you get to know your patissier or boulangere, you can purchase raw dough from them to make your own desserts at home!
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Post by Happygoin on Jun 15, 2007 8:08:55 GMT -5
You're right, Truffaut. I don't think there are a lot of bakeries in the US that make their own puff pastry. They usually buy a frozen ready-to-bake product. And the ones that do make their own are usually located in large cities. Thankfully, with the advent of places like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, I think it might be easier now to find higher-quality food products.
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Post by Becky (Berkeleytravelers) on Jun 15, 2007 8:13:17 GMT -5
I buy that at the local Andronico's (a fairly high end small grocery chain). I haven't looked at Trader Joes yet (or Whole Foods). And I haven't found a local baker with a product good enough for me to want to buy their dough raw (but if I do, that's a great idea!).
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Post by Happygoin on Jun 15, 2007 8:43:56 GMT -5
I'm surprised that you say that, Becky. With the number of wonderful bakeries in northern California, I would have thought it would be easy to find good quality items there. And, of course, no Andronico's in the east...
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Post by Becky (Berkeleytravelers) on Jun 15, 2007 8:46:47 GMT -5
Happy, to be honest I haven't been out sampling religously - I would not be able to afford Paris ever again, because I would have to keep replacing my wardrobe with larger sizes!
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Post by Happygoin on Jun 15, 2007 8:58:12 GMT -5
Well, there is always that isn't there, Becky? That's the same reason I don't know what's out there either (except Pepperidge Farm). It isn't like I eat OR make a lot of pastry. I'd be as big as a house. (I'm hoping heaven is a place where you can eat all you want and not gain weight .)
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Post by geordy on Jun 15, 2007 8:59:45 GMT -5
Becky, Sounds good to me! I'll look for the brand in Trader Joe's or some of the higher end shops here. Making pastry from scratch may be relatively easy but not when you live in a small NYC apartment!! No place to roll out the dough without alot of bother. And thanks for the tomato tart idea...A good thought for summer. I've made a tomato onion one in the past but haven't thought to recently!
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Post by Happygoin on Jun 15, 2007 9:13:18 GMT -5
Who rolls? In the summer, I make the kind you can just plop into the tart pan and pat out. Please...I never work harder in the kitchen than I have to. Although, if I lived in NYC, I'd never cook anyway. With so many great take-outs and Balducci's to boot. I'd let them do the cooking...
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Post by geordy on Jun 15, 2007 9:40:29 GMT -5
When I was working full time I did just that Happy! Now I have to save my limited resources for Paris!!! And I like your idea of Heaven...except I'd add and it looks just like Paris!!! Oops...does that mean we have to start behaving in order to get there!!??
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Post by Becky (Berkeleytravelers) on Jun 15, 2007 9:50:41 GMT -5
But geordy, there's behavior and then, there's "behavior"! ;D
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