Does Puff Pastry Qualify as a Diet Food?

I hope so, because I devoured it for my dinner tonight.

Today was our second attempt at making puff pastry. The first time we were in Patisserie class, where the Pastry Chef showed us how to make the divine flaky dough. This time around, we were with Chef Stephane, our regular chef. Now, it is well known that many chefs do not like to do pastry. I have no idea if that is the case with our Chef or not. What I do know is that there is a slight difference between how the Pastry Chef and our Chef approached the puff pastry. With the Pastry Chef, every ingredient was meticulously measured and he was cool as a cucumber. With Chef today, he just guessed at the salt amount and there were several French expletives muttered under his breath. To be fair, the expletives were merited because we were trying to make puff pastry in a blazing hot kitchen with only a few surfaces covered with marble - not exactly ideal conditions for pastry.

As you all know, I am weak for puff pastry. So, despite the fact that my land lady asked if I was "putting on kilos" because I was in culinary school, I just could not help but bring home what I made tonight for dinner. I mean, who can pass up puff pastry stuffed with cheese and bechamel? Don't worry, for one of our dishes we stuffed the puff pastry with ground pork and veal, so I got enough protein for the day. :)


Puff pastry with bechamel and cheese.



Covered with another sheet of puff pastry and topped with more cheese!



Puff Pastry topped with meat, herbs and shallots.

Covered and "decorated."

Baked in this handy dandy oven.

And plated. Yum.