Chef School and cookery schools
Secrets
Essential tips from Dorset chefs
D
orset is not only home to some
of the country’s top chefs but
this fine county also boasts some great
cookery schools. Each month, cooking
course tutors and chefs will share their
secrets, giving you top tips for success
in the kitchen. This time, discover
how to make perfect pasta, pastry,
smoothies and even a rendang sauce.
The secret of…
making perfect pastry
by Christine McFadden
1. Measuring and mixing
Always measure ingredients accurately,
using proper measuring spoons. Mix quickly
and do not over-work the dough.
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2. Flour
Go for organic flour where possible, or one
from a named mill. Like rare-breed meat, the
differences in flavour and texture are
remarkable. Use minimal extra flour for
sprinkling your board and pin. Too much
will make the pastry dry.
3. Gluten
Gluten is a protein in flour that makes dough
elastic when kneaded – which is great for
breadmaking but a no-no for pastry. For this
you need a low-protein flour: 9–11%.
4. Liquid
If a recipe gives a range, use the smaller
amount. Only add more if the dough is dry.
5. Fat
Use lard or solid vegetable fat mixed with
butter, or butter only for sweet pastry. Plan
Leftover veg salad by
Gabriela Lerner
Do you find yourself with leftover
vegetables in the fridge? A quarter of a
red cabbage, a carrot, a bit of spinach and
perhaps a few broccoli florets? Turn them
into a quick salad. Slice all vegetables
finely, sprinkle a pinch or two of sea salt
onto the vegetables and use your hands to
massage the salt into the vegetables, which
will tenderise them a little. Squeeze the
juice of half a lemon over it and add 2 or 3
tablespoons of a good quality extra virgin
olive oil. Mix the salad well and sprinkle
some sunflower seeds on top.
Gabriela runs raw food classes from her
home near Shaftesbury. For more info, go
to radiantonraw.co.uk
1. Don’t
throw away those
really brown over-ripe
bananas. They’re sweeter in
cakes than yellow ones.
2. Make a pan sauce in a stainless
steel pan. You need the food to stick
to get a rich flavour so non-stick isn’t
the best option.
3. Crack eggs on a flat surface rather
than the edge of a bowl. It creates
larger pieces of shell that are
less likely to end up in
your dish.
ahead if using butter. It’s great for flavour but
must be at the right temperature: 15–20°C.
6. Heat and cold
Warm hands and a warm kitchen melt the
fat in the dough, making it difficult to handle.
Make sure your bowl, board, rolling pin
and tin are chilled. Mix with fingertips only
– they’re the coldest part of your hands.
Dip in iced water if necessary. After rolling,
chill your pastry for 30 minutes to relax the
gluten. Give it a 15-minute restin the tin.
Food writer and cookery tutor Christine
McFadden, aka The Dorset Foodie, runs
cookery classes at her home in Littlebredy.
Her Eyes on Pies course is on 17 April 2015.
www.thedorsetfoodie.co.uk
The secret of…
egg pasta
by Julia Cotton
1.Use semolina to help dry your pasta as
it absorbs moisture but does not make your
pasta heavy or gluey.
Use a large pan of boiling water so the
pasta has plenty of room to cook.
Put your pasta into your sauce and toss,
not your sauce on top of your pasta.
2.
3.
ground turmeric