Pastry is a tasty, flexible and waterproof layer that can be formed into a multitude of shapes and sizes. You can substitute one type of pastry for another quite happily in many applications. Although making your own pastry takes a little longer than using ready-made, you control what ingredients it contains and you can make the right amount for the job at hand. I stick to making my own shortcrust, sweet and rough-puff pastries. Filo and puff pastry are in the league of more ambitious pastry chefs than me.
Little lemon meringue pies
Traditional beef stew pasties
Vegetable tarte tatin
Pheasant and mushroom pies
Silverbeet, feta and pine nut triangles
Zucchini and feta pies
Cheesy leek and potato flan
Apple, almond and lemon jalousie
Festive pies
Leek, bacon and tomato flan
I’ve been absorbed by a couple of fictional books recently, coincidentally both from Canadian authors. Stef Penney’s The Tenderness of Wolves and Gail Anderson-Dargatz’ The Cure for Death by Lightning are bleak in places but full of appealing characters.
