The easy availability of butter in America was a boon for my mother, who saw endless possibilities for perfecting French pâtés chaud, large puff pastry rounds filled with an aromatic meat mixture. She regularly made the rich pastries from scratch, and they were standard breakfast fare for my siblings and me growing up. As adults, we have scaled back our consumption, making the pastries smaller and serving them as finger food on special occasions. Shaping tiny round pastries is laborious, so we form logs and cut them into diamonds. Unlike my mom, I don’t have the patience or time to make my own puff pastry. Instead, I rely on a local bakery for frozen sheets of all-butter puff pastry or use the frozen puff pastry sold at supermarkets. The latter are usually sold two sheets to a box, with each sheet weighing about 1/2 pound and measuring about ten inches square.
At Vietnamese American bakeries, pâtés chaud are often labeled pork or chicken pies. These popular pastries can also be made in advance and then baked when needed. Fill the logs as directed in step 2 and then freeze them on the baking sheet for 1 hour, or until hard. Wrap each log airtight in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months. Let thaw about halfway before cutting and baking as directed.
Recipe information
Yield
makes about 30 small pastries, to serve 8 to 10
Ingredients
Filling
Preparation
Step 1
To make the filling, in a bowl, combine the pork, beef, onion, garlic, Cognac, salt, and pepper and mix well. Set aside.
Step 2
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the cold puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface. Using a sharp knife, cut into 3 equal strips. Put one-third of the filling on 1 strip, placing it lengthwise in a continuous line down the middle that reaches from end to end. Using your index finger or a pastry brush, lightly moisten 1 long edge of the strip with water. Without stretching the dough, lift the dry long edge of the strip to cover the filling. To create a smooth seam, flatten the moistened edge with your thumb, then roll the log to close. Repeat with the remaining strips and filling. Place the logs, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until firm. Meanwhile, position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400°F.
Step 3
Using a sharp knife, cut each log on the diagonal at 1-inch intervals to create diamond shapes. Put the diamonds, seam side down and 1 inch apart, on the same prepared baking sheet. Brush the top of each pastry with the egg. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
