Puff pastry is a versatile and delicious ingredient that can elevate any dish it is used in. Whether sweet or savoury, this buttery pastry has been a staple in European cuisine for centuries and is now enjoyed all over the world.
About Puff Pastry (Lapat Feyte)
Puff pastry is a flaky type of pastry that is known as pâte feuilletée in French (lapat feyte in Kreol). It has a long and interesting history, dating back to the 17th century in France.
It is said that a French chef named Claude Gelée accidentally created puff pastry. When he left a block of butter in the sun, this caused it to melt and seep into the dough he was working on. This mistake resulted in a pastry with numerous flaky layers and pâte feuilletée was born.
How to Make Lapat Feyte
To make this flaky pastry, you must repeatedly fold and roll out layers of butter and dough. This encases the butter in the dough and creates a laminated effect. As a result, baking the pastry forms the characteristic flaky layers.
This process can take several hours, but the result is a pastry that is light, airy and delicious.
Cooking with Puff Pastry
Undoubtedly, this pastry is incredibly versatile and can be used in a variety of dishes. Indeed, you can use it in pies, tarts and turnovers. Moreover, you can use it to wrap savoury fillings such as meat (Pate Laviann) or vegetables.
When working with puff, it is important to keep the dough cold and to handle it gently. This will prevent the layers from sticking together.
Favourite Recipes
Here are some of our favourite recipes this flaky pastry.
Pate Laviann (Bánh Patê Sô)
