Skip to content

Robert St. John

Restaurateur, author, enthusiastic traveler, & world-class eater.

Easy Pastry

Easy to work with, yet delicate. Possibly the most versatile pastry going. Holds for four or five days in the refrigerator, freezes well, fries well. Works great in sweet and savory applications. Overall, a damn good pastry.

Ingredients

1 cup                 softened butter

1                        8 ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 /2 tsp               salt

2 cups                flour

Instructions

By hand, or using a paddle attachment on an electric mixer, combine all ingredients to form a soft dough. Do not overmix.

Wrap the dough well and refrigerate 10-12 hours before using.

When ready to use, remove dough from refrigerator and allow it to sit at room temperature 10-15 minutes before using.

Yield: 35-40 small pastries, or 2 pie crusts (top and bottom)

Recent Recipes

Salsa

Makes about 3 cups Place all ingredients into the bowl of a food processor with the blade attachment. Pulse several…

Read more

Pastel de Huevo

OK, so it’s a quiche. But “Mexican Quiche” just didn’t sound right. I’ve already thrown in an Italian version in this book. I don’t want to do even more to insult the Francophiles. So, we’ll just call it an egg pie. If you have a Mexican market nearby, purchase your chorizo there (unless you make your own). Substitute queso cotija or queso chihuahua for a little more depth in the flavor profile. Leftover salsa can be used for a topping on scrambled eggs or a dip with chips later in the day.

Read more

Baked Potato Quiche

I call this recipe “Comfort quiche.” It’s perfect for a cold December evening. The great thing about quiche is that it can be prepared in advance and held cold in the refrigerator or frozen up to a couple of weeks. When the holidays are hectic and the house is crowded, this quiche is perfect as a lap meal in front of the fireplace served alongside a light salad.

Read more