Food & Wine — 2016

Wow did this make a hit.  I’ve since found it in some of the better Cafés around.  This recipe was adapted from Donna Hay’s “Marie Claire Dining” book.

It’s worth making the sweet flaky pastry at least once. The pastry stays crisp and crunchy even 2-3 days after baking (if they last that long).  Otherwise use store bought puff pastry, sprinkle sheet with a little caster sugar and cinnamon, roll up, slice into rounds and roll out.

Sweet Flaky Pastry

Filling

Put flour, sugar cinnamon and butter in food processor, and process until mixture forms fine crumbs.  With motor running add water and process until mixture is a smooth dough.  Roll dough on a lightly floured surface until 45cm long and 2cm thick.  Spread softened (not melted) butter over 2/3 of pastry.  Take the pastry with no butter and fold over 1/3 of pastry. Fold over other 1/3 with butter to encase butter.  Press edges to seal.  Cover and refrigerate 15 mins before rolling.

Put sugar and water in saucepan over low heat and stir until sugar dissolves, then simmer 1 minute.  Mix a little of the milk with cornflour to make a smooth paste.  Whisk remaining milk, cornflour paste, sugar syrup, egg yolks and vanilla in a jug and then return to saucepan over low heat.  Stir until mixture thickens, cool and cover surface with plastic wrap to prevent skin forming.

Roll out pastry on lightly floured surface until 3mm thick.  Cut into 10cm circles and place in oiled muffin tins so pastry comes up side of tin. 

When custard is cool spoon into pastry shells.

Bake in preheated oven 200 degC for 20 minutes or until custard is golden and firm.

Makes 12.

There are a huge and varied array of recipes for this famous Portuguese dish.  We had a lot of fun trying a few and this one really stood out for flavour and presentation.

Cut slits in the chicken thighs, then marinade overnight in the remaining ingredients. 

Drain the chicken from the marinade, remove any garlic, lemon slices, bay leaves.

Grill the chicken over charcoal (or the barby), start with the cooler part of the fire to cook them through, then move to the higher heat to finish them off.  We first roasted in our wood fired oven, then finished them off over charcoal.  Baste with marinade as required for the first half of cooking.  When close to done, baste with the piri piri sauce to colour them up and form a nice crust.

Serve with Piri Piri sauce on the side, perhaps with coleslaw and chips, and a chilled Yarrh Rosé.

Piri Piri Sauce

Blend all the ingredients together until smooth. Cook over low-medium heat for 15-20 mins until the garlic and onions are cooked, stirring regularly to emulsify.