1½ lbs. readymade puff pastry or the Pastry recipe below
Cheese sauce
7 oz. mushrooms, diced small
2 cups cheese sauce
1 egg, beaten
Method:
Make Pastry ahead of time, preferably the day before.
Preheated oven to 325°F.
Roll pastry until it is 3 mm thick and cut 10 cm circles with a biscuit cutter. Set aside.
Meanwhile make the cheese sauce recipe.
Add the diced mushrooms to the sauce to make a filling. Simmer. Stir frequently to prevent the mushrooms from sticking to the bottom of the pan for about 10 minutes. The sauce must be firm and not runny.
Place a teaspoon of filling in the center of each round and fold pastry to seal. Press down the edges firmly with your fingertips. Transfer to a baking tray and brush with beaten egg. Bake in oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and transferred to wire rack. Serves 6
Pastry
1 ½ pounds (6 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons water
Juice of ½ lemon
[Yes there is no leavening. It will work from air trapped during all the rolling and folding.]
Method:
Work together 1 pound plus 4 tablespoons of the butter with 1 1/4 cups of the flour by hand on a cool surface. When well mixed, form this butter paste into a block, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Rub the remaining 12 tablespoons butter into the remaining 3 ½ cups flour with the salt until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons water and the lemon juice to form pliable dough, and mix until smooth and elastic. Shape the dough into a ball, and then cut a cross in the top to one-third of the depth. Open out the points of the cross and roll out each one to a square 5 by 5 inches, 1/4 inch thick. Remove the butter block from refrigerator, and place in the center of the dough. Fold the flaps over, folding counterclockwise and ensuring that the edges are well sealed. Roll out the dough into a 12-by-24-inch rectangle. Fold the short sides to meet in the middle, and then fold in half like a book to form four equal layers; this is called a double turn. Cover with a damp cloth, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Repeat to give the dough four more double turns, resting in the refrigerator each time, then leave the dough covered in the refrigerator to rest, preferably overnight before using. The dough can be frozen, tightly wrapped, for future use.
Cheese sauce recipe:
4 Tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder or 1 t prepared mustard
2 ml cayenne pepper
1/2 cup all purpose cake flour
1 1/2 cups milk
250 ml (7 oz) grated strong cheddar cheese
Method: melt the butter in a medium sized pot. Add the salt, mustard, and cayenne pepper. Stir till all well combined. Add the flour a little at a time till it is all incorporated in the butter. Add the milk a little at a time till a thick sauce is formed. Add the cheese all together and stir till cheese has melted and no longer stringy. Add the mushrooms as per recipe directions. Simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.