Puff Pastry
Ingredients:
1¼ Cup Flour
11/2 tsp Salt
¾ cup water
1 lb Butter (2 Tbsp Melted, remainder cold)
I prefer the more traditional approach to making puff pastry: this means a lot of cooling time and a bit of patience. The whole premise behind puff pastry is that the butter melting between the layers of dough cause gas which puffs the pastry, so to speak. Because of this, you do not want the butter to melt at all while working, so whenever the butter starts to get soft, throw it in the refrigerater for a bit.
Start by forming your flour into a bowl shape.
Pour the water, salt, and melted butter into the center.
Next, pull the flour into the well, blending and working it into a ball as you go. Once you form a ball, cut an "X" into the top of it, then wrap in saran wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
Take the cold butter and press all of them together forming a square between a non-stick surface and some wax paper. Using a rolling pin, tap the butter until it just starts to get a bit mushy. Form the butter into a square about ¾ inch thick.
Refrigerate while waiting for the dough.
Flatten the dough ball just a tad with your hand and, pressing your rolling pin into an edge of the "X" begin to roll out a "leaf." Quarter-turn the dough and roll out another, repeating until you have a cross with a rounded mound in the center.
Place the butter square in the center and fold in the leaves over it. Tap the top to seal and flatten the square.
Roll out the dough into a long rectangle, trying to keep the edges reasonably straight.
Fold the bottom third up and then the top third over, like a letter. Quarter-turn the dough and roll it out again. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Turn and roll 2 more times and then refrigerate for another 30 minutes. Repeat once more and it's ready to be shaped.
The Egg Puff
Ingredients:
9 Eggs
2¼ cups Milk
2 tsp Dry Mustard
2 tsp Salt
Dash of Soy Sauce
Dash of Mirin
3 slices White Bread (I also added some Italian Bread Crumbs)
1/2 lb of grated Cheddar Cheese
1¼ lbs ground Italian Sausage
1 Red Pepper (diced)
Mix all the ingredients, except for the sausage and peppers, together well and then whisk vigorously. A blender would be great for this (if I had one).
After peeling the casings off,
cook and drain the sausage, and sauté the pepper in a bit of oil.
Place the sausage and pepper in the bottom of a 9" x 13" baking pan.
Pour egg mixture over top. Refrigerate for an hour for the flavors to mix.
Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 30 minutes or until the eggs just start to set. You still want a bit of moisture in the eggs since this is going to be reheated. Every so often, pull the eggs from the edge towards the center, to try baking it more even.
Creating the Egg Puff Pastry Roll
Cut the puff pastry in half, and roll it out into a rectangle so it's about ¼ in thick or so. Trim off the edges and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Add some shredded cheddar to the top of the pastry. Once the egg filling is almost done, cool it off a bit, and spoon it onto 1/2 of the pastry.
Roll it up and give it a nice eggwash.
Cook in a preheated 400 degree oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
The Asparagus Nest
Ingredients
1 lb Asparagus Spears (Trimmed and cut in 1/2)
3 Egg yolks
¼ cup boiling water
Cayenne Pepper for taste
Juice from 1 small Lemon (heated)
1/2 cup melted Butter
Making the Hollandaise Sauce
Sorry I couldn't take any pictures; but as many of you know, when making Hollandaise Sauce you can't really stop and take a picture as it'll curdle or separate really easily and I'll be damned if I let that happen.
Set up a double boiler, (I used a makeshift one - take a small pot and fill it 1/2 way with water, and then rest a larger one on top). You want the water to come to a boil, heat up the top pot, and then reduce the heat so the water is around 170 or so. Dump your egg yolks in and beat them until they start to thicken (you don't want to have scrambled eggs). Slowly, while whisking constantly, add the boiling water a little bit at a time. Once it thickens a little bit more, slowly add the lemon juice and take the pot off the heat. Whisking constantly, slowly add the butter. Finally add the cayenne pepper and whisk until it's thick.
Making the Nest
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the asparagus for about 6 or 7 minutes (I like mine cooked a little longer than al dente). Remove the asparagus and stack a layer on a plate. Stack another layer perpendicular to the first, repeat until you got a nice little nest. Pour the Hollandaise Sauce over the top.
Cut the Puff pastry into slices,
and place one on top of the nest. Garnish and serve.
