Savory Pastries

Who says it is necessary for pastries to be sweet?

Today we are in for a delicious treat as we will prepare two savory pastries filled with cheese and veggies. Baked to perfection in the Fontana wood-fired oven, these pastries quickly become an elegant dish and even more complete when accompanied by a fresh mixed salad.

Puff pastry is a satisfying dough to make, but not something you want to prepare at the last minute since it is quite a laborious process. So, when you find yourself in a crunch and don’t have time to make puff pastry from scratch, you can simply purchase it in the frozen section of the grocery store. In no time you can put together something not only delicious, but also very appealing to the eye.

Recipe:

Supplies:

Wood-fired oven
Infrared thermometer
Oven safe baking pan

Ingredients:

2 sheets frozen puff pastry
350 grams whole asparagus
2 vines cherry tomatoes
6 to 7 small potatoes thinly sliced
1 medium/large zucchini thinly sliced
1 vidalia onion, sautéd
100 Camembert cheese sliced
100 Brie cheese sliced
Hot pepper flakes to taste
Salt to taste
Flour to dust work surface

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400-425°F - 205-220°C
Take puff pastry out of the freezer and allow them to thaw in the refrigerator for at least one hour or until pliable.
Slice zucchini, potatoes, and onions very thinly.
Remove the hard part of the stem from each asparagus by snapping at the natural breaking point as shown in the video.
Place asparagi in simmering water for just 2 minutes. Remove and cool off in ice water or running water. Set aside.
Slice the potatoes very thinly with the help of a mandoline. In the same asparagi water, blanch the thinly sliced potatoes for just a little over a minute in order to give them a head start. Remove them from the pan and set aside.
Pour olive oil in a hot frying pan and lightly sauté the onions. Remove onions and set aside.
In the same pan allow the thinly sliced zucchini to sauté for two minutes by gently tossing them around. Remove from pan and set aside.
Slice the two cheeses or cheese of your choosing into thin strips.
Take cold puff pastry sheets out of the refrigerator and place them on a lightly flour dusted work surface.
With the help of a rolling pin try to shape them into a perfect square making sure not to make them much thinner.
Place one corner of the puff pastry square on the opposite corner forming a triangle. With the help of a knife make two diagonal cuts along the edge of the triangle leaving about 1.5 cm border as shown in the video, making sure not to cut all the way through where the cuts meet.
Transfer the triangle on the pan on top of parchment paper. Open the triangle once again into the original square.
Now take one of the loose frames and place it over on the corner on the opposite side. Do the same process with the other puff pastry square. Check video for a good visual on how to do this.
Fill each square with cheese and the veggies prepared ahead of time. This is going to be an expression of your creativity. Remember that the eye has an important role when preparing even the simplest of food. Take your time as you create an appealing presentation.
You have the option to brush the puff pastry with egg wash. We chose not to do so but instead placed the pan in the freezer for 10 minutes to allow the butter in the dough to get nice and cold.
Point the infrared thermometer light on the stone where the pan will be placed. The temperature should be at around 400-425°F. Make sure there is not an active fire going, but only hot coals and embers.
Slide baking sheet into the preheated oven on the opposite side of the hot coals, close the door, and bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and nicely browned.