Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Cheese twists from scratch !

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It was last week that I went to volunteer in lil A's nursery again and this time a mini mobile zoo was visiting his nursery . I didnt had any idea why they called parents for, as it was just something coming to school ,usually parents are called when they go outside . But since my afternoons are free I always volunteer whenever they ask parents help.when I went in that day to my surprise I was asked to do some baking with kids .Their plan was dividing kids into 4-5 batches and while few of them went to see animals kept in a hall, some of them were left for playing and some for baking with me and some for face painting ! They gave me some pastry sheets,cheese,pesto sauce ,few rolling pins and a bunch of kids ! I was asked to help them bake cheese twists or straws and the the kids have do everything expect the oven part !

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It was fun baking with them.I divided the pastry dough into small balls and gave each of them a small one,they rolled it,spread pesto ,sprinkled cheese and then twisted it. Batch by batch all 24 of them did it .I popped it in the oven for them and they all ate what they cooked and they loved it.

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Since my boy loved it a lot I thought I will make this at home for him as well. These days since we come home after his nursery very late,I always take something to nibble for him and his friends while playing . I baked this yesterday afternoon, by the time i finished baking it ,it was 3 and I had only 10 minutes to take them out and click it before I pack them in a snack box ...phew ! Somehow I managed to click few pics and before I went :)
Like I mentioned in the title I made puff pastry from scratch.I watched the youtube video here for puff pastry recipe and it came out really well.In the picture above you can see how flaky it is.Here I easily get a readymade puff pastry sheet from supermarkets ,I just wanted to try it one time to see how it turns out :)

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Ingredients

For pastry

Plain flour/maida - 125 gm

Butter - 125 gm

Salt - a pinch

Water - 100 ml

Beaten egg - for egg wash

For filling

Parmasan cheese grated - 1/2 cup

Bacon slices -3 (optional)

Pesto sauce/dijon mustard - to spread (optional)

Salt and Pepper

Method

1.Melt 20 gms of butter in a saucepan.

2.Sift the flour and add pinch of salt.Add melted butter,water and make it a smooth dough.

3.Roll the dough into a rectangle and place the butter in the middle and roll out gently to a sheet.

4.Fold the sheet one time and refrigerate for 10- 20 minutesand repeat the process atleast 6 times.(watch the video)

5.Sprinkle the cheese on the sheet and gently press it down.

6.Spread pesto sauce and cut into stripes.

7.If using bacon cut them into strips and place on top of the pastry stripes.

8 .Twist the stripes and place them in a baking tray and give it an egg wash.

9.Bake them in preheated oven at 200 degree centigrade for 20 - 25 mintes until the pastry is golden brown.

Note - Adding bacon slices and dejon mustard is adapted from a TV show

20 comments:

Reshmi Mahesh said...

This looks wonderful and yummy...Great that u did puff pastry from scratch..they look perfect and flaky

KitchenKarma said...

Really nice...what a dedicated mother you are....I am sure you son's teachers love you too....:-)

Julie said...

Very flaky and nice puff pastry sheet from scratch dear..Yummy,I too made a small batch from scratch..was really nice,didn't click pics then..will try sometime now:-)

Ongoing Events of Erivum Puliyum @ Palakkad Chamayal-Fenugreek Leaves OR Green Chillies

Unknown said...

very cute story.. love those cheese twists..

Nupur said...

Hey thats quite flaky and crisp. am glad to follow you Vineetha... :)

Swathi said...

Vinee, that looks flaky awesome. I love that you made puff pastry from scratch. Very nice idea to bake with kids. But mine will make baking impossible.

hotpotcooking said...

Came out perfectly that too from scratch.

Sangeetha M said...

wow..perfect one,looks so flaky n yummy!!
Spicy Treats

Reshmi said...

it looks perfect and flaky.. and following you :)
do visit my Noel collections when you get time

Radhika said...

So flaky and love the crispy delight. They look just perfect.

Tickling Palates

Ganga Sreekanth said...

wow...looks very yummy..

Priya Suresh said...

Wow they came out super flaky, beautifully done.

Kaveri Venkatesh said...

Perfect crisp and flaky cheese twists...You must've had a fun time baking with kids

Treat and Trick said...

You need patience to come up with this perfect pastry. Good job!

Sayantani Mahapatra Mudi said...

oh wow! hats off. this is so perfectly made.

Suja Manoj said...

Flaky and perfectly made,yum

Kitchen Boffin said...

looks crispy n yummy.. i must try this out for my kid.. bookmarked!

Kavi said...

As I'm reading your post, everything is dim & I can imagine myself curled up with a hot bowl of soup & these cheese straws! O the pleasures of cheese! :D

Kajal said...

:) That's sweet! it must be fun to bake with kids. I have tried making puff pastry from scratch only once, and it turned ok. i've just been lazy to not try it again. and these cheese twists motivate me to want to try again! so, thank you! :)

kala said...

Looks so yummyyy crispy,flaky