question for PCs

[amccomb]

Do those of you who work in restaraunts do savory pastries as well as sweet, or do you mainly work on desserts? If you do savory work, what sorts of things do you do?

I went to a dinner a couple of years ago, and the pastry chef made a savory pastry that was like...chicken baklava. There were layers of phyllo dough and nuts and cinnamon and other spices, but there were also tender chunks of shredded chicken. The dinner was scotch themed, so I am thinking there may have also been some scotch in there. The Pastry Chef said it was based on a traditional dish, but I can't remember the name or location of the original. Wow, it was so good, we still talk about it three years later.

[culinary bear]

I've looked up my major references on Scottish cooking (F Marian McNeill, Catharine Brown) and can find nothing remotely resembling the confection you describe...

During the Auld Alliance between France and Scotland there was much culinary interplay, and you'd be surprised what can turn up as traditional "Scottish" cooking, but I know of no traditional Scottish dish which would give rise to what you describe.

I remember seeing a Claudia Roden programme on Turkish cooking, with a pie which might be similar to the one you describe, though...

[blackcat]

It sounds like a Bisteeya, which is a layered pie with phyllo, meat, spices, chopped almonds etc. Its Morrocan and quite good. I'm not sure if there is a scottish connection though. I once made mini ones for a wedding.

[Redsugar]

That “traditional” dish might very well be chicken pot pie! There are scores of recipes available for that dish using phyllo dough. I concur w/ blackcat whose surmise that the chicken dish you were served was based on Bastila, the North African pigeon pie "surrounded by a very thin pastry leaf called warqa."

For an in-depth treatment of the Bastila's origin & pedigree, including its probable migration across Europe en route to Scotland, read Bastila: a Culinary History of Morocco's Famous Pigeon Pie.

[Carrot Top]

In agreement about the bastilla notion...but I also wonder if there could be a Medieval Scots recipe which would be similar.....

[Redsugar]

In England, there is the famous Cornish Caudle Chicken Pie. Travel throughout Great Britain and you’ll find that any pub/restaurant worth its supply of lard will pride itself on the classic steak-&-kidney pie, pork-&-apple pie, and hamd-&-veal pie. They also serve spicy fish pies and crusted beef cobblers. In Yorkshire, pigeon pie is baked w/ back bacon, mushrooms, and boiled eggs – all wrapped in puff pastry. The variety of savoury pies in Britain is sufficient to fill a whole cookbook. The legendary food halls at Harrod’s and Fortnum & Mason offer large displays of raised savoury pies.

Above the border, Scotch pies are filled with minced meat, although much of the meat is often replaced with offal. Traditionally, this meat is mutton, although in modern times beef is almost always used.

I have often baked Chicken-&-Leek Potpie; but either under short-crust pastry, or topped w/ cheddar biscuits.

Ultimately, it will be interesting to learn the true genesis of this dish.

[simdelish]

Do those of you who work in restaraunts do savory pastries as well as sweet, or do you mainly work on desserts?  If you do savory work, what sorts of things do you do?

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My last restaurant job, I did it all:

- daily bread and foccacia for dinner service;

- bread sticks;

- savory tart shells and parmesan baskets that were filled with things like scallops for dinner entree special;

- various types cheese or pepper crackers for weekly private wine tastings;

- gorgonzola wafers that were served as the bottom layer of a filet of beef item (a regular menu item);

- sage cake rounds for a foie gras appetizer (ooooh, that was my favorite: pan-seared foie gras with spiced and candied pineapple sage upsidedowncake, with diced crispy bits of pancetta and maple cider reduction....to die for!)

- cornbread for another regular entree item

- all desserts (7 or 8);

- at least 6 ice creams/gelatos and 3 sorbets for intermezzo;

- cookies, Mignardies;

- special order cakes for private dinners/parties;

- muffins, scones, danish for private power breakfasts;

- pithiviers, braids, tartlets, sausage bread and at least 4 sweet quikbreads for every Sunday brunch

- variety of quiches for holiday (Easter and Mo's Day) brunches;

- and..... another whole separate menu of desserts for our catering branch

whew! it makes me tired just thinking of all I had to do...

we were a very busy place; my Exec chef always said I ran circles around everyone, and that I did the work of 3 others!

no wonder I worked so much overtime!