Our lovely Monkey Queen of Don’t Make Me Call My Flying Monkeys, was our May Daring Cooks’ hostess and she challenged us to dive into the world of en Croute! We were encouraged to make Beef Wellington, Stuffed Mushroom en Croute and to bring our kids into the challenge by encouraging them to create their own en Croute recipes!
En croute translates to any food that has been wrapped in pastry dough and baked in the oven. Yes, people life in this month's Daring Kitchen is good, and to gushingly fine heights. Clearly this is the right! best! way to consume your favorite foods, all pocket-tucked in crisp, feathered dough.
The possibilities for en croute can be ambitiously endless and by this I mean, if it makes your tastebuds sing, then why not? Which is how I reached today's predicament. For though we were offered three stellars from our host, the mind here was running one track to singularly take on a dough wrapping destination close to my heritage, familiar to my palate. A savory treat similar to the one here, yet of grander reputation; enter now Kerala meat puffs, a region's answer to beef and pastry fixings. In it, we come across a nucleus of generous seasoned ground meat clinging to an encrusting supplement of golden pastry; thus reaching Level of Indescribable Awesome, and an endresult quite difficult not to like.
Sauteed with spice, masala and flavor, these puff cores are great introduction to Kerala style beef, albeit on a much swifter level. Capsuling masala'ed meat, the pastry overcrust offers that just- right- bite balancing in its intense insides. Baked to a near burnished brown, this is the perfect hand- to- mouth nosh, one of shockyoursense magnitude.
Meat puffs are a big deal in this household, often greeted with expected squeals of excitement and woot! woot!'s. Being a cinch to make and the aftermess an easier cleanup, it requires not more than my three man crew. For this is one of those rare moments that I often request of their services, with mixing, formbuilding and the like. The sets of hands, small, medium, even the large can work multiple batches, baking up significant lots of this home favorite. Sad to say, this was not the case in today's puffmaking agenda. Since being a late show to our Challenge party, I had to bring this one to the table and fast. After sauteing, assembling, baking,
To dear hostess Monkey Queen, thank you much. How fantastic could it be that this much loved meatpuff packet cued in perfect to our May page, an apt debut in a most excellent en croute task.
Confession... I used frozen peas and carrots. You can do the same if you have a conspicuous half package that has seen better days lying around in your freezer. Otherwise just buy the peas.
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 2 serranos (green chillies), chopped (seeded if preferred)
- 1 tsp cayenne
- 2 tsp coriander
- 1 pinch turmeric
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 tsp salt or enough to flavor
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ¼ c frozen peas
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 tbsp water
- Over medium flame, heat oil in skillet, saute onion, allow to brown.Then add ginger, garlic, serranos until cooked through .
- Spoon in cayenne, coriander, turmeric, cumin, and saute for an additional minute.
- Add the ground beef, combine well. Lid the skillet, cook covered until meat is done.
- Remove lid, mix in salt.
- Increase heat to high, and cook until moisture is thoroughly absorbed, app 2-3 min.
- Stir in garam masala. Add peas at this point. Mix well. Turn off heat. Set aside to cool a bit.
- Have pastry sheets ready and thawed. Gently roll out the dough sheet(s) with a rolling pin.
- Cut sheets into squares large enough for a tablespoon of filling. Put a tablespoon of the meat in the middle and fold over to cover the filling. Press sides to seal.
- Whisk together beaten egg and water and brush the tops with this egg wash. Bake at 375°F degree F for 20 minutes or till it is golden brown.
No worries if you have leftover meat. Between two slices of bread it makes for a splendid next day sandwich.
From an earlier DB challenge~ for those wanting to make puff pastry from scratch.
The puffs look so perfect Tisa... Feel like grabbing one
ReplyDeleteThank you, Vimitha- go ahead grab- maybe the screen will yield :-))
DeleteWow this looks so delicious:) especially the last picture Tisa
ReplyDeleteThank you Rekha- I'm always worried about the pictures- glad you liked!
DeleteTisa ,those beautiful looking meat puffs bring back a flood of memories.I donoo if it is the appearance or the smell of freshly baked puffs that entices me more.
ReplyDeleteAww thank you, Meena- I know exactly what you mean..flood of memories is right!
Deletelove the aroma of freshly baked home puffs... ur snaps as usual are tempting... should I run to nearby shop or should I make it :) ... great work girl... the last snap is very tempting
ReplyDeleteNoel Collections
Come on over, Reshmi, I'll pack a few :-))
Deleteayyo tisa... looks so delicious... i really wish i was somewhere around there... i wouldn't have even left a single pc baaki...
ReplyDeleteAyyo Rafeeda, we can hopefully cook up a batch together.
DeleteTisa, lovely dish and pics! Cheers
ReplyDeleteThank you Carole!
DeleteThese would recieve cheering in my house too. The kids love making and eating them :)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful clicks Tisa and a wonderful combination of flavors
Aww thanks Sawsan- yes, I think anything with a fluffy pastry cover is gold in kids' eyes.
DeleteWow this just amazing n love ur clicks too... I won't take beef so going to try with mutton
ReplyDelete