Week 4: Puff Pastry

This week we entered the world of puff pastry. I have always loved this dough, not only because it is tasty and full of butter (more than you want to know about) but because it is so versatile and can take on a lot of different flavors. It is great with sugar, fruits, cheese, chocolate, cream...anything!

This dough takes brute strength though. You have to roll it out, fold it up, roll it out, fold it up..again and again. That is what creates all those flakey delicious little layers. It is a great way to get out some aggression. If your dough has been refrigerating it can get very firm. So, naturally you just take your rolling pin and beat the shit out of your dough. It is a crack up watching everybody just bringing rolling pin down on the dough. Great therapy! You should try it!

We made these the last week that my mom was here in Paris. She really loved the Chaussons aux Pommes. So much so that she packed them on the plane back to the states with her! Right now, she is either missing all the treats I bring home or she is thankful to be away from the potential 50 pounds I might be gaining here...

Chaussons aux pommes (filled with apple sauce), Brown Sugar & Apple in Chocolate puff, Chaussons Italienne (filled with pastry cream with rum raisins)

Dartois (puff pastry filled with almond cream), Bande Pommes (puff pastry topped with pastry cream and fruits)