RECIPE

[Guest guest]

> what is the difference between pastry flour and regular flour?

 

Pastry flour is ground from a softer variety of wheat (ie, not hard

winter wheat), and can also be found as white or whole grain. It has a

lower proportion of protein, and will be softer in kneading and

structure. I often use whole grain pastry flour in place of all

purpose white in recipes, especially sweet ones like cookies, where

you still would like a softer texture.

 

> Do you have an oatmeal pastry shell recipe (may be farfetched, I

> know)?

 

Damn, I do, but it's on a truck. Pretty much it was quick rolled

oats, mixed with a dab of brown sugar and enough melted butter (I use

smartbalance, which is a veg margarine, about half the time), and

pressed into the pan. You can also make an oat flour by grinding

those rolled oats in a blender (they're soft enough to grind that

way). If you mean rolled, you might need to add something??

 

> Do you have a whole wheat pastry shell recipe?

 

Same as above!!! :-( I'm sure someone else must though!

 

> I've made two pies in the past three days. All apple, yummy.

> Anyway, the last one I used one cup pastry flour and one cup whole

> wheat flour. I love pies and would like to cup up with a healthier

> type of pie crust.

 

Here is a recipe from my files that uses a walnut crust, to add to

your list of experimentations. It's just yummy, and I use whole grain

pastry flour.

 

Cranberry-Walnut Galettes

makes 7 galettes

Cranberries and walnuts are an extraordinary combination for a fall

dessert. The richness of the walnuts complements the tartness of the

cranberries nicely.

 

Walnut pastry dough

1/2 c walnuts, toasted

3 c unbleached AP flour (substituted whole grain pastry flour)

1/4 c sucanat (substituted sugar)

1/4 tsp sea salt

3/4 c canola oil

1/2 to 3/4 c soy milk

 

Cranberry-walnut filling

1/4 c orange liqueur (optional) (I used a few drops of orange oil)

1/2 c water

1/4 c fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 c sucanat

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tbsp minced fresh ginger

1 1/2 lbs fresh or frozen cranberries

 

7 tbsp walnuts, toasted and chopped

frozen vanilla Rice Dream (substitute vanilla ice cream)

 

To make the pastry dough:

FInely chop the walnuts by hand or grind them in a blender or food

processor. Sift the flour into a bowl. Add the walnuts, sucanat, and

salt. Stir the dry ingredients together. Drizzle the oil into the dry

ingredients, coverin as much surface area as possible, and mix lightly

with a spatula until the flour and oil form dough balls about the size

of marbles. Drizzle 1/2 cup soy milk into the bowl and stir until the

mixture forms a ball. If the dough does not come together, add more

soy milk 1 tablespoon at a time. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap. Knead

lightly in the plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

 

To make the filling:

In a medium saucepan, simmer the liqueur for one minute to remove some

of the alcohol. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until the

cranberries have broken down, 15 to 20 minutes. Pour the hot filling

onto a sided baking sheet and let cool.

 

To make the galettes:

Preheat the oven to 350*. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Divide th dough into 7 pieces. Roll 1 piece between sheets of

parchment or waxed paper to a rough circle 6 inches in diameter. Keep

the remaining doug wrapped in plastic.

Reove the top sheet of paper to break the seal of the dough. Replace

it on top of the dough lightly, flip the dough over, and remove paper

that is now on top. With a paring knife, cut the dough into a 5 inch

diameter circle, using a small plate as a guide. Remove excess dough.

Place 1/4 cup filling in the center of the circle and top with one

tablespoon chopped walnuts. Fold the sides of the circle over the

filling, leaving the center open and creating a square galette.

Using a large metal spatula, transfer the galette to the prepared

sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Bake for 35

minutes, or until the crusts are golden brown. Let cool slightly on a

rack. Serve warm with Rice Dream.

 

from The Millenium Cookbook, Eric Tucker & John Westerdahl (dessert

recipes by Sascha Weiss)