Savory pastries can be an excellent appetizer or a delicious entree for group meals. Here are two favorites to test out with skills you can learn in our online pastry school:
Stovepipe savory pastries
Stovepipe savory pastries by King Arthur Flour are easy to make ahead of a party and quick to bake.
First, the puff pastry dough. Mix flour, salt and baking powder. Work in butter until you have a crumbly mixture. Stir in sour cream and knead.
Shape the dough into a log, then roll out into a rectangle. Dust the entire block with flour, fold in thirds, then roll out again. Fold in thirds a second time. Chill for at least a half hour.
Now, choose your filling. Stovepipe pastries are delicious with sausage or mushroom fillings.
For the sausage filling, simply use the bulk sausage of your choice.
For mushroom, saute ground mushrooms with butter and onions, then add chives and parsley, Worcestershire sauce and sherry. When the mixture is dry, add cream cheese.
On a floured surface, roll out the dough into rectangles about 5 inches by 13 inches. Line the center with your filling. Wet one of the long ends of the dough, then roll the dry end toward it, encasing the filling within. Freeze these logs for 30 to 40 minutes.
Use remainder dough to make small discs, then space out on parchment paper.
Remove the pastries from the freezer and cut into 12 pieces. Set each one atop a dough disc. Brush with egg yolk and bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Open faced meat pie
The perfect savory pastry is one that can be enjoyed with your friends or family. An open faced pie makes for an easily shared dinner. Greek chef Akis Petretzikis proves this with his open faced meat pie recipe.
First, prepare your tomato mixture. Wash cherry tomatoes and make an incision in the bottom of each one. Boil the tomatoes for about five minutes, quickly move to a bowl of ice water and peel off the skins.
Make a syrup by boiling water, honey, cardamom seeds, and vanilla beans and seeds. After five minutes, remove from heat and add thyme and rosemary. Let the mixture cool, then strain to make a smooth syrup. Return to the saucepan.
Add your peeled tomatoes and chopped ginger. Simmer for a half hour and let cool.
Then, make the dough. Combine flour, water, salt, vinegar and olive oil in a bowl. Mix until your dough is elastic and consistent. Chill for a half hour.
Next, focus on the filling: Brown ground beef with chopped onion. Pour in wine and a bouillon cube. Add finely chopped thyme and let simmer until the liquid reduces. Remove the mixture from heat. Stir in your tomato syrup.
Take the dough out of the fridge and roll out onto a floured surface. Shape into a circle and place it in your pie pan. Pour the meat into the center of the dough, leaving room to fold the edges over to create a crust. Top with mozzarella, tomatoes, mushrooms, red scallions and any other vegetables you prefer.
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes.
