Pastry Scraps – interesting ideas and a boring one!

It’s such a shame to throw away pastry trimmings and scraps. I know some people eat them ras but here are some more and probably better ideas.

Firstly collect all the leftover pastry scraps and trimmings and knead together very lightly, and then here’s some ideas ..

Palmiers/Pinwheels

~ Roll the assembled pastry into a rough rectangle, it can be a raggedy one. 
~ Scatter something delicious over the surface – good combinations would be Cheddar and Chilli, Cheese and Marmite, Pecans and Maple Sugar, Ham and Cheese, Dried Fruit and Brown Sugar, whatever you fancy. 
~ Roll up the pastry from one long edge, moisten the far edge and seal the roll. 
~ EITHER place sealed side down on a greased baking sheet, glaze and sprinkle the top as appropriate. Bake till crisp and golden and then slice into pinwheels
~ OR slice before baking, lay cut side up on the baking tray and cook like that. 

The second option is good when using cheese as it goes all melty and yum.

Marmite Nibbles

Spread the rolled out pastry with a little Marmite (it spreads easier if you warmer it a little), fold in half and reroll to enclose the Marmite. Cut into little shapes and bake till crisp and golden.  These are not only delicious but, as a bonus,  you can scare Americans with them!

Turnovers

~ Roll the pastry out thinly, cut into circles and put a spoonful of something delicious on half the pastry disks.
~ Brush the edges with water, milk, cream or beaten egg and fold in half enclosing the filling, press the edges together. 
~ Place on a lightly greased baking tray, brush the top with milk or cream and sprinkle with sugar or salt, as appropriate.
~ Using the tip of a sharp knife prod a little hole in the top of each turnover to allow steam to escape. 
~ Bake in a medium hot oven (say 190ºC/375ºF/170ºC fan/gas 5) till crisp and golden.

Turnovers can be fried too as with these fake samosas!

Anchovy Bites 

These are much the same as above but using anchovy paste (either Patum Peperium aka Gentleman’s Relish or mash an anchovy or two into some soft butter).  Continue as above. These are particularly beguiling cut into fishy shapes.

Rustic Tarts

If you don’t have tart cases just cut out rounds or squares of pastry, top with chosen filling leaving about 1cm naked edge and then fold the edge up and over the filling to frame it which gives and attractive a rustic effect. Brush with beaten egg and bake till crisp and golden. 

Cheese Straws

~   Roll out puff pastry scraps on a very lightly floured but rather heavily cheesed board – scattered in this case with a mixture of grated Cornish Crackler and Gran Padano,
~   Roll the pastry to “quite thin” (technical term),
~   Sprinkle more cheese on top,
~   Fold into three and re-roll,
~   Cut the dough into long strips, twist them into spirals and put onto a greased baking tray.
~   Chill till needed.
~   Preheat oven to  375ºF/190ºC/170ºC fan/gas 5.                
~   Brush the straws with milk and sprinkle with crunchy sea salt  and a little more cheese,
~   Bake till risen and golden and melty and crisp and gorgeous.

Sausage Rolls or similar

Here’s a similar thing I made with a lone stick of rhubarb!

~ I trimmed and de-threaded the rhubarb stick and as it can taste quite sharp cut a slit along its length which I filled with sugar. 
~ I also rolled the rhubarb in sugar and then wrapped it in strips of leftover pastry which I brushed with cream and sprinkled with, um … more sugar.  
~ I bake at 375ºF/190ºC/170ºC fan/gas 5 for about half an hour till it was crisp and golden and a swift poke with a sharp knife revealed that the rhubarb was completely tender. 
~ I ate it with clotted cream.

Mini Napoleons

Cut the rolled out puff pastry (in this instance) into equal squares or rectangles and lay a little apart on the greased baking sheet.  Bake in a medium hot oven, say 375ºF/190ºC/170ºC fan/gas 5, till risen, cool, split and fill with something wonderful.

Baby Tarte Tatins

Or Tartes Tatin, perhaps?

Use a little muffin tray for these. 

~ Put a spoonful of your chosen filling (which then becomes a topping) into each of the muffin um … hollows? 
~ Top each with a circle of pastry tucking it in at the edges and bake in an oven preheated to 180ºC/350°F/160ºC fan/gas 4 till crisp. 
~ Cool a little and then turn out carefully. 

Apple is the traditional Tatin topping but roasted tomatoes, caramelised shallots etc. are good too.  Nothing too wet or runny.

Cook’s Treat

Just toss the trimmings with a little sugar and powdered cinnamon and bake till crisp. 

Make a cup of coffee and have yourself a sit down. You could add a little leftover ice cream (which you are sure to have if you’ve got a copy of my book Luscious Ice Creams without a Machine).

Crunchy Topping

Using the same principal as above but more sophisticatedly (is that a word?) roll the leftover pastry scraps out and cut into random or not random (i.e. leaves) shapes. Toss with sugar and cinnamon and scatter over the top of a dish of cooked apples (or whatever).  Bake till hot and crisp.

Storing Leftover Puff Pastry Scraps

The best way to store puff pastry trimmings is to stack rather than munge them so as to retain the layers in the dough …

A few more

Leftover Pastry Scraps Ideas and Info …

~   Sprinkle a little coarse sea salt on savoury pastries.
~   Where appropriate sprinkle the pastry with grated cheese before cooking.
~   Sprinkle sweet pastries with sugar – caster or light brown are my favourites.
~  Only used ready cooked or quick cooking fillings for these little nibbles as the pastry doesn’t take long to bake.
~   Cook these pastries in a medium hot oven 375˚F / 190˚C / Gas 5 / Fan 170˚C would be good but if the oven’s on a different temperature you can, within reason, use that!

If these are just some of the suggestions I can think of for pastry don’t you wonder what ideas I have for the other 450 potential leftovers in my book Creative Ways to Use Up Leftovers?

How to Make the Best Shortcrust Pastry Ever!

If you want first rate pastry scraps then you need good pastry and here’s a wonderful pastry tip my friend Carol gave me that ensures delightfully crisp, flaky, tender and melt in the mouth shortcrust.

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