Puff pastry is one of those tricky pastry that I probably couldn’t be able to get it right. It is made with flour and fats, rolled several times to get the crispy layers when baked. I used to buy Pampas brand which is imported (from Mexico, I think) but I dislike the shapes they come in, usually too large and I need to cut them.
Then I discover Kawan’s Puff pastry in Tesco. It is rather cheap, I think around RM3-RM4 per packet. The packaging says it is transfat free so I hope it is. Anyway, puff pastry is still fattening but hey, what’s a little indulgence?
It comes nicely stacked on layers of plastic sheets so getting the exact number you need for your pastry is real easy. There are no hassles of rolling or kneading. Just throw them on your stew or soup to make your dish looks smashing. Or just wrap it with something and bake. It is a lot cheaper than buying those expensive pies from bakeries.
I made a lazy corned beef, green peas and cheese puff today. I just take on third of a tin of corned beef, some green peas (S&W baby peas are sweet) and some mozzarella and cheddar cheese to make the fillings. No other flavourings required because all of them are flavourful enough.
Dump some of each ingredients on a sheet of puff pastry. Wrap it anyway you like.
Apply some egg white and bake them in hot oven at 200 degree celcius for 15-20 minutes.
I made about 12 puff pastry filled with the canned stuffs. Yayaya, not very healthy but yummy.
P/S : The crazy weather is going nuts. Every evening, the humid and hot weather can melt me if I cook a regular meal in the kitchen. After the build up of the hot humid weather, a freak storm will break out. Bah!
Oooo… your puffs came out so nicely! Whenever I tried using this pastry, it always always breaks open and leaks while baking! So frustrating! I don’t use savory filling like yours though. I filled my puffs with jam… perhaps that could be the reason? Anyway, delicious looking post!
corren – Hahaha, don’t let my photo fools you. Many of them did ‘explode’ into one ugly mess but my kids walloped them. I think it is due to two factors :
1) oven temperature too hot, maybe try 180 deg celcius
2) the condition of the dough. I notice that those which are colder do not rise so much as those which has been left in the warm room temperature.
The other thing is to avoid making too many fancy designs like I did as they tend to split. I have a few that are mere rolls and they look so much better. Overall, the layers are lovely and tasty, must better than those bought from bakeries, ya?
Lilian,
since you introduced Kawan pastry, so I tried… result very nice yet cheaper than others…. I made chicken pie twice and amazingly, my 3 and 4 years old kids like it. off course my husband lagi suka….
i have always avoided any recipes that call for puff pastry, because it seems so tedious to make on your own. but now i’m really eager to try out Kawan’s puff pastry. thanks for the recommendation! and your corned beef pastry looks lovely! making me hungry d!:)
You should let the juicy contents flow out a bit! 😛
I love the ideas you gave with using frozen puff pastry to bake pie. I tried your recipe – quick chicken pie about 2 weeks ago. I could not find Kawan puff pastry in Tesco, so I ended up with the Pampas puff pastry. It’s really a great idea and I hope to find the Kawan puff pastry next time 🙂
My hubby always ask me to give him a chance to cook, so this time i asked him to follow your recipe. It was easy and successful (though 1 burst). We bought 1 can for corned beef (RM7 plus!) to be divided among 10 pastries. I think too much of corned beef, so I felt a bit geli. Less beef next time, more “space” to taste the pastry.
julia – Glad you find the recipe edible! Yes, I forget to mention that I only use 1/3 of the tin. I kept the 2/3 in two separate portion in the freezer.
poh nee – The puff pastry makes an elegant dish, just drape it over soup and bake.
khy – There is nothing juicy lah, or else the puff pastry will be soggy.
lingzie – If I find stocks in Tesco, normally I buy 2-3 packets and store. They always ran out of stock.
yatie – Kawan has some excellent products. You watch out for the wantan skin, in green colour packet. It is really delicious, just minced some chicken, add corn flour, salt and pepper, Wrap them in the wantan skin and deep fry. Sedap….Just put a tiny layer of the mince chicken will do, fold it into triangle.
Thanks again Lilian for all these good advise. Seriously, I got a lot of inspiration to cook from you. You make it sound so easy and not intimidating at all 🙂 I have been cooking dinner at home, almost daily. At least now, we can have home cooked meals after work and in the long run, it did saves us $$ and we get nutritious food.
p/s – I finally found the Kawan puff pastry in Giant today!!! Bought 2 packs to stock up and it is much cheaper than Pampas…hehehe
Hi Lilian, I agree Kawan Puff Pastry is the best thing to hit our S’markets! Making Pastry is a tedious chore for me, all that rolling in our humid weather is not my thing! Now Bread making is my forte! Anyway made Sausage Rolls, came out great, lovely to eat with a hot cup of Chai, on a stormy, rainy evening! A small hint when using sausages(frankfurters) for baking any rolls: par-boil them in a little water for 2-3 mins, cool and continue for recipe. Cheers to Kawan!
[…] use the frozen puff pastry from Kawan which comes in squares. (you can see the post on Kawan pastry, can be bought from most supermarkets) All I need is to fold the square into a triangle, seal the edges with some egg yolk, press the […]