Pablo's mountain kitchen

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 4, Issue 5, 1 July 1986, Page 9

Pablo's mountain kitchen

[ Our resident chef Pablo returns to the Ruapehu region for another ski season with his professional culinary tips. Pablo first worked up the mountain in 1 983 cooking for ski clubs. He climbed the mountain once a week, skied down the Turoa side and cooked Mexican food at Nobby's Restaurant. For the last two years he has been chef at Discovery Lodge. Pablo specialises in ethnic cuisine and he will be offering his gourmet dishes at Cafe Stua in Ohakune. Pablo is easy to recognise in his ten gallon cowboy hat. He is quite happy to answer questions on matters culinary on the chair-lift or anywhere else.

The other day my employer asked me to do t bit of "finger food" for a group of oldies. After giving this suggestion some thought I decided tosettleforbouchees. miniature pies in Kiwi terms. which can be eaten in one mouthful. The pastrv cases can be baked well in advance and when warmed through are ascrisp and tasty as they are when freshly made. You can also buy them ready-made from your baker or supermarket. Ready-made cases don't have that yummy flavour of butter, but if you are in a hurry it can save a lot of "time. Also to save time you can use ready-bought fillings. But this of course would not suit the real gourmet. Success in baking bouchees depends primarily on the quality of the puff pastry, which must rise evenly. Ready-made pastry rarely is uneven due to a highly stable mixture of fats and because it is all done by machine. Therefore the pastry layers are of even thickness so you ' don't get wonky bouchees.

So rather than explain the intricate details of folding your own pastry. I would recommend using either prerolled sheets of pastry or just small retail blocks. Restaurants tend to use enormous pre-rolled pastry that comes in 20 kilo rolls. Almost seems like cheating. When you roll puff pastry, there are a few basic rules: • Never roll the pastry in one direction but roll from left to right, then top to bottom. • When handling pastry it should be kept cool. Experts roll it on marble sheets in cool rooms. • Leftovers are only good for bases but not the top layer. • Alway roll the top layers first because these layers have to rise most. • Don't forget to stand the pastry for at least 15 minutes in the refrigerator. • Puff pastry needs to be left alone. Once in the oven you need to maintain a constant heat. The main thing to remember when doing this type of cooking is to follow the rules. You will also need a set of pastry cutters. Use the large cutter about 7cm

and a smaller 4.5cm cutter for the rings. Pastry Cases 1. Roll out the pastry to about onecm thick. Cut into rings with your seven cm cutter, which should be sharp. With the 4.5 cm cutter take the middle out. These can be rolled out to form bases about 0.5 cm thick. Place the rings on the bases. 2. Place the bases out on a greased baking sheet (moisten the baking tray with water as the steam makes the top rise fully). 3. Brush the rings with egg yolks, tops and bottoms, so the sides aren't hindered from rising. 4. Prick the bouchees with a fork to stop air bubbles. 5. Roll aluminium foil folded double into tubes and place in bouchees like little

funnels. These will help them to rise evenly. 6. The oven should be set at 220°C or425°F, for the first five minutes. After this reduce heat by about 10°C. They should be ready after 20 minutes, but this time varies according to the pastry. , Now you have the basic recipe for the bouchee or vol-au-vent depending on what size the container is. Your puff pastry is best fro/en after baking and set aside for a dinner party or other special occasion. Fillings are endless and limited only by your own imagination. Basically your pastry case is an edible container for a large variety of hot dishes. It is an inventive way to use leftover stews. Next week some filling ideas.