Lesson 2: Pâte (Dough)

Day 2. Nine hours later. With outside being 32 degrees Celsius, but feeling like 40 degrees everywhere– even hotter near the stoves. I can complain. But, I’m not going to. I’m pretty happy with how smooth things are going in the pastry kitchen.

Today, the chef demonstrated 10 recipes, and the students made a number of doughs—pâte brisée –shortcrust dough; pâte sucrée—sweet dough; and  pâte sablée—shortcake dough. We turned the pâte sablée into cookies–pâte sablée Nantais.

Pâte sablée is so sweet and soft to the touch you can turn into any shape. The dough is softer and more delicate than pâte brisée and is recommended for small tarts, petit fours and, of course, cookies.  The dough may be wrapped and stored in the refrigerator for up to five days or frozen for several months.

Here’s the ingredients and directions of today’s class. According to my chef, these are done when they are "GBD"–golden, brown and (smells) delicious. 

Ingredients

Pate sable/shortcake

400 g flour

4 g baking powder

200 g butter

4 egg yolks

1 whole egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 g salt

200 g icing sugar

 

Egg wash

1 egg yolk

2 g coffee extract 

Directions

1. On a parchment paper, sift the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
2. Separate the eggs. Add the whole egg to the egg yolks.
3. Sift the icing sugar, make a well in the centre.
4. Add the salt and diced butter to the well.
5. Using your fingers, cream together the salt, the butter, and the icing sugar until the mixture is smooth and pale.
6. Add the eggs a little at a time. Continue mixing with your fingers in a clockwise direction.
7. Add the flour—a bit at a time. With a plastic scraper, carefully bled into a soft, round dough.
8. Wrap in plastic film and flatten out. Chill until firm before use.

Assembling the Pâte Sablée Nantals

1. Lightly flour your work station.
2. Lightly flour the dough, pound it, and roll out it into a cylinder shape. Note: If the dough gets too stick, and become difficult to work with. Wrap it up, and let it sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or more.
3. Using a cookie cutter, cut out cookies in the size of your choice and press lightly on a lined tray.
4. Brush each cookie with egg wash, and refrigerate.
5. In the mean time preheat oven to 400F, when ready to pop in the tray of cookies in the oven, lower the temperature of the oven to 370F.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown around the edges.

Enjoy, these are especially good dipped in coffee.

Pâte Sablée Nantais And Damier

Pâte Sablée Nantais and Damier

 

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