Getting Started with Shortcrust
Found a leftover pack of shortcrust pastry in my freezer while cleaning yesterday. Figured why not whip up some simple treats instead of wasting it. Grabbed my rusty baking tray and preheated the oven to 180°C – always forget whether it’s fan or conventional setting but just winged it like usual.
First Attempt: Jam Tart Mess
Rolled out the pastry straight on the counter since I couldn’t find the rolling pin. Dusted flour everywhere like a snowstorm. Cut wonky circles with a cup rim, slapped raspberry jam in the middle. Half leaked out during baking ’cause I got greedy with the filling. Smelled amazing though!
Quick Fixes Made:
- Used less jam after the first disaster batch
- Poked holes with fork tines so they wouldn’t puff up like balloons
- Brushed egg wash for that shiny finish
Experimenting with Whatever Was in the Fridge
Got creative after the jam tarts. Chopped up that sad half-apple nobody ate, tossed it with cinnamon and sugar. Made ugly little pastry squares, dropped the filling in, folded corners like origami gone wrong. Forgot to grease the tray properly – spent 10 minutes scraping burnt bits off later.
Found leftover Nutella behind the soy sauce bottle. Spread it on pastry strips, twisted them like breadsticks. They uncurled in the oven looking like mutant snakes but tasted bomb.
Final Disaster Turned Win
Tried making mini cheesecake cups using muffin tin. Pastry shrank away from the sides creating lopsided pools. Topped with random berries from the freezer – froze solid on contact with warm filling! Waited 30 mins till they thawed. Looked janky but honestly? Best accidental treat ever.
Key Lessons Learned:
- Pastry thaws faster if you just bash it on the counter
- Burnt edges = “caramelized” when serving to guests
- Always bake with tunes blasting – covers smoke alarm beeps
Ended up with 7 decent desserts out of 10 tries. Not bad for someone who once microwaved instant noodles for 30 minutes. Threw the ugliest three in a bowl and called it “deconstructed pastry medley”. Honestly? Anything tastes good with enough ice cream.
