hollaendische blaetterteig
february 15, 2011
Salaam Dear Ones,
Did you know that there are three kinds of puff pastry? German, French and Dutch? Well, neither did I! Today I learned how to make Hollaendische Blaetterteig. Andreas said he hadn't made it in twenty years, not since he was an apprentice. He sailed right through it, showing me how to incorporate the butter into the dough in chunks, as opposed to one big slab, as the French and Germans do. Then he showed me how to roll long strips of the dough around metal cones and make hoernchen, or little horns, that we later filled with a strawberry cream. They can also be filled with a savory filling and served as hors d'oeuvres, which sounds pretty swanky to me.
He also showed me again how to make bisquitt (apparently it has two t's) which is the basis for most German cakes, and instead of using a springform pan, he folded paper around a metal ring until it was as tight as a drum and used that as the bottom of his cake pan. Then when the cake was done, he just pulled the paper off. If you use a springform, the cake is stuck to the bottom of the pan. He has all these little tricks!
Andreas is also showing me how to make my own sourdough from scratch because I'm not sure I'll be able to buy sourdough starter in the States. We're on day two of a three day process. Thursday we'll try making bread with it. Wish me luck!
I'm happy to report that my kneading is getting better. I'm starting to get the hang of getting the dough stretched tight and into a firm ball. You have to work the outside edge of the ball, keeping your hands at a 45 degree angle, and only using the outer edge the heel of your palm. The dough turns in a circle as you work it, stretching and forming a ball. They keep letting me practice on the dough, and then coming behind me and fixing all my mistakes. All this is done in a super good natured kind of way. I couldn't have asked for a nicer team to work with.
I'm just so thrilled to be learning all these things! It's so fun to work with these guys. We've gotten into a really sweet rhythm. They're good guys...into their families, proud of their kids, nice to their workers, patient with me stumbling around the language and getting in the way much of the time. I'm just so grateful to be here.
Not so grateful that I can't run off for the weekend though. Thursday Aenni and I take off for Paris! I know. I'm the luckiest girl in the world. It's true. I wish I could take you all with me. The best I can do is this little travelogue, which is my way of saying I love you.
I'll be in touch,
fattie
Did you know that there are three kinds of puff pastry? German, French and Dutch? Well, neither did I! Today I learned how to make Hollaendische Blaetterteig. Andreas said he hadn't made it in twenty years, not since he was an apprentice. He sailed right through it, showing me how to incorporate the butter into the dough in chunks, as opposed to one big slab, as the French and Germans do. Then he showed me how to roll long strips of the dough around metal cones and make hoernchen, or little horns, that we later filled with a strawberry cream. They can also be filled with a savory filling and served as hors d'oeuvres, which sounds pretty swanky to me.
He also showed me again how to make bisquitt (apparently it has two t's) which is the basis for most German cakes, and instead of using a springform pan, he folded paper around a metal ring until it was as tight as a drum and used that as the bottom of his cake pan. Then when the cake was done, he just pulled the paper off. If you use a springform, the cake is stuck to the bottom of the pan. He has all these little tricks!
Andreas is also showing me how to make my own sourdough from scratch because I'm not sure I'll be able to buy sourdough starter in the States. We're on day two of a three day process. Thursday we'll try making bread with it. Wish me luck!
I'm happy to report that my kneading is getting better. I'm starting to get the hang of getting the dough stretched tight and into a firm ball. You have to work the outside edge of the ball, keeping your hands at a 45 degree angle, and only using the outer edge the heel of your palm. The dough turns in a circle as you work it, stretching and forming a ball. They keep letting me practice on the dough, and then coming behind me and fixing all my mistakes. All this is done in a super good natured kind of way. I couldn't have asked for a nicer team to work with.
I'm just so thrilled to be learning all these things! It's so fun to work with these guys. We've gotten into a really sweet rhythm. They're good guys...into their families, proud of their kids, nice to their workers, patient with me stumbling around the language and getting in the way much of the time. I'm just so grateful to be here.
Not so grateful that I can't run off for the weekend though. Thursday Aenni and I take off for Paris! I know. I'm the luckiest girl in the world. It's true. I wish I could take you all with me. The best I can do is this little travelogue, which is my way of saying I love you.
I'll be in touch,
fattie