Ooh!
Today I'm making savouries for the end of the meal. You've caught me about to make pastry.
For these cheese seftons you will need:
Cheshire cheese
flour
cayenne pepper
butter
and for the puff pastry: flour
butter
and water.
Now I've made a dough of water and flour with a good pinch of salt, I'm going to
roll it out on this marbled surface. It's important for puff pastry to keep it cool.
Normally I would make this in the pastry room but I thought I'd bring this
out so I could show you how I do it.
So the first thing I'm going to do is to
roll out my pastry into a rectangular shape.
And now it's ready, I'm going to
divide it roughly into three - just little marks with my fingers - and in the middle third
spread the butter.
It doesn't need to completely cover the space but you
don't really want too large gaps.
Now the butter is covering the middle, I'm going
to brush away the extra flour here - otherwise it won't stick - fold over the edges
Turn it and then roll it back into its rectangle. I'll then divide it into three
again, put more butter in the middle, fold it, turn it and repeat the whole thing
but without the butter. And then, just in case it's got a little warm, leave it somewhere to chill.
For my cheese mix, I'm going to use Cheshire Cheese - a pale, crumbly, sharp cow's cheese
ideal for cooking.
I'm going to rub in the butter.
And I'm going to add a pinch of cayenne pepper.
Quite a big pinch.
And now, to combine it with my pastry.
Now I've rolled and turned my pastry one more time,
it's time to add the cheese mix
spreading it out, making sure it's well covered. Fold it over, brushing off any
extra flour, otherwise it won't stick.
I shall roll this out to a rectangle, divide it into three, then put the rest of
the cheese mix in the middle...fold it, turn it, roll it one final time.
So seven turns in total. The trick is seven or eight turns.
Now to cut it out.
There are many different recipes for savouries nowadays, it's become quite fashionable.
A very British habit!
You can display these in lots of different ways.
I like to put them in rings.
Once you've cut them out, put them on a well-buttered baking tray
and then place them in the oven.
They take about 10 or 15 minutes in the oven, but you must keep an eye on them,
you don't want them to get too dark.
There you are - cheese seftons.