Pastry is a combination of flour, water and butter mixed together to produce a dough that can then be manipulated, rolled, cut and shaped to make savory or sweet treats. There are many different types of pastry dough that can be used to create a variety of different kinds of edible foods, such as pie crusts. Other offerings include Danish pastries, Strudel, profiteroles, baklava and Cornish pasties. Pastry is one of the most versatile and filling foods that has ever been invented and is a massive part of most global diets along with bread.
Pastry is a European tradition and can be traced back to the Mediterranean when the Greeks and Roman used filo pastry—paper thin slices of pastry—in baklava and other sweet dishes. It was the Egyptians who initially left evidence of confectionary that incorporated the used of pastry and showed they had specific skills that used honey, oil, nuts and other ingredients in the making of such sweets.
In Europe pastry can be both sweet and savory, including cheese croissants, cheese and onion pasties and pies, sausage rolls—sausage meat cooked inside a pastry casing—Cornish pasties, pork pies and other savory treats, as well as sweet treats such as Danish pastries and profiteroles. Pastry in Chicago is made in the same way as pastry in any other city or country and should be just as tasty.
Types of Pastry
There are many kinds of pastry that can be used in baking and cooking, the most common of which is short crust pastry. Made using fat, butter, flour, salt and water, short crust pastry is used in both savory and sweet dishes and is crumbly and light in texture. Flaky pastry is a light and crispy pastry that puffs up when baked. Puff pastry also puffs up because of the many thinner layers making up the consistency of the dough. Filo pastry originated in ancient Greece and is also paper thin and used in layers to make dishes such as baklava. Finally, choux pastry, which is made entirely differently from all the other types of pastry. Choux pastry is made in a pan and is more like a thick paste rather than a dough before it is cooked. It is made from milk, water, flour and butter and is used for profiteroles and éclair buns. It puffs up and the air inside creates a cavern that is usually filled with custard or whipped cream.
To try out a true tasty flavor of a sweet pastry in Chicago contact LaPatisserieP for a list of their choices and prices.