I really have to stop making puff pastry before I turn into a fat, greasy, blob. Ha! It will have been worth it! I wanted to see if non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening could be used in place of Earth Balance margarine, since store-bought versions use shortening instead of butter. The main motivation for this is the fact that Earth Balance costs $5.33 here, while an equal weight of shortening costs about $1.00. The answer is yes, it works just as well and makes for a very tender and flaky pastry.INGREDIENTS
Makes 6
- 1/2 recipe puff pastry
- 1 1/2 cups frozen wild blueberries
- 1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
Icing:
1. Heat 1 tbsp of lemon juice in a small saucepan over med-lo heat. Add in a scant 3/4 cup of icing sugar and stir to dissolve.
METHOD
1. Mix frozen berries, lemon zest, lemon juice, flour and sugar in a saucepan. Cook over medium high heat until bubbling and thickened. Remove from heat and place in fridge to cool down. Filling must be cold before it can be placed on the pastry.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Roll pastry into a 12" x 16" rectangle. Slice into twelve 4" squares. Place a heaping spoonful on filling on the centre of 6 squares.
4. Lightly moisten dough around the filling. Place remaining pastry squares over top of filling and press down firmly around the edges to seal. Use a fork to further seal the edges, then trim with a pastry wheel. Cut two slits in the top.
5. Bake for 20-25 mins, until golden brown.
6. Let cool for a few mins, then drizzle icing over top.
As you can see, the shortening makes a very nice pastry dough. It is a bit softer, but cooks up flakier. Make sure you chill the shortening before using it in the recipe.
