Strawberry and Brie pasties are an end-of-season treat

Yankee Chef logoBy Jim Bailey
theyankeechef.blogspot.com

This may be the last hurrah for strawberry shortcake season so I thought I would go out with a unique spin of a timeless classic. Taking the English pasty as my base, I engulf a soft, sweet yeast dough with fresh strawberries, a hint of orange and a dab of Brie cheese and bake it. This Yanked dessert is truly one to keep and share.

Strawberries last hurrah for the season: With cheese.

Strawberries last hurrah for the season: With cheese.

About 4 ounces Brie cheese
1 cup warm water
3 tablespoons honey
1 (.25-ounce) envelope dry yeast
1 cup orange juice, strained
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 cups diced, hulled, fresh strawberries
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon salt
Nonstick cooking spray
1 egg, beaten
Whipped topping

On a piece of waxed paper or film wrap, dollop 12 teaspoon-sized mounds of Brie cheese and freeze until needed. This will make it easier to handle when preparing pasties. In a large bowl, add water, honey and yeast. Stir well and let sit 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, whisk orange juice, sugar and cornstarch well; add diced strawberries. Over medium heat, cook until strawberries are just tender and mixture is thick, about 3 to 5 minutes, slightly mashing. Remove, transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until needed.

After 10 minutes, stir 2 cups flour, oil and salt in yeast mixture. Using a wooden spoon, continue stirring well until it begins leaving the side of the bowl. Loosely cover with a cloth and place in a warm spot to rise for about an hour, or until almost double in bulk. On a well-floured work surface, empty dough and knead for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the elastic feeling is no longer sticky.

Divide into 12 equal pieces. Grease a baking pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. Remove strawberries from refrigerator and cheese from freezer. Flatten out a dough ball in the palm of your hand until it is about 3 inches in diameter. Place a mound of frozen cheese in the middle, followed by a couple teaspoons of strawberries in the center, pinch until sealed. Place, sealed side down, on prepared baking pan.

Repeat with remainder of dough, cheese and strawberry mixture, leaving 3 inches between each pasty. Brush off excess flour, brush on beaten egg and place in cold oven. Turn heat to 350-degrees F and bake 30 to 32 minutes, or until lightly browned on top. The filling may ooze out on top, but that is fine. Remove from the oven and serve immediately with whipped topping.

Yankee Chef book coverSchiffer Books of Pennsylvania has released Jim Bailey’s new book The Yankee Chef: Feel Good Food for Every Kitchen. It contains more than 550 traditional New England comfort-food recipes tweaked for today’s palates with hundreds of kitchen tips and food facts. The hardback book is 312 pages and contains 200 color images. Its ISBN is 978-0-7643-4191-5 and the cost is $34.99. The book can be ordered through Misty Valley Books, 802-875-3400.

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Filed Under: Community and Arts LifeThe Yankee Chef

About the Author: Jim Bailey is a third generation Yankee Chef, New England food historian and newspaper columnist. His first cookbook, simply titled The Yankee Chef, has been published. He welcomes all feedback, questions or comments at theyankeechef@aol.com.

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