Alan Yau at Yauatcha shows off some dim sum magic with these venison puffs for Taste of London
Note - the amounts given make enough pastry for approximately 100 venison puffs. Attempting to make a smaller amount will make it difficult to get the correct consistency of the dough. Any unused dough can be frozen for later use.
1. To make the dough, stage 1, melt the lard and butter in a pan until liquid. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the drops of vanilla essence and melted fats to the bowl and stir with a palette knife. Use your hands to lightly knead the mixture in the bowl until you have a smooth ball of dough. Wrap the dough tightly in cling-film and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
2. To make the dough, stage 2, sift the two types of flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the custard powder and beaten eggs. Add in the water gradually whilst stirring the mixture with a palette knife. Use your hands to lightly knead the mixture in the bowl until you have a smooth ball of pastry. Wrap the pastry tightly in cling-film and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
3. To make the filling, dice the venison into small pieces (about 1cm cubes) and deep fry it in 250ml of the oil at 170°C for 1-2 minutes or until cooked. Remove from the oil and drain on kitchen paper. Place the cooked venison in a large mixing bowl and add in all the remaining filling ingredients in the order listed. Mix well and reserve.
4. To assemble the dish, remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the dough balls into a rectangle about 6mm thick. Reserve it. Re-flour the surface and roll out the second dough ball to the same thickness. Place one piece of dough on top of the other and, using a rolling-pin, roll out so that the two types of dough blend into one.
5. Roll until the thickness is approximately 3mm but retain the rectangular shape. With the longest side of the rectangle towards you, fold the left edge into the middle, and then do the same with the right edge. The dough should now look like a pair of closed doors. Roll the dough out again and repeat the folding process. You should roll and fold, roll and fold at least 10 times to ensure a light, layered effect when cooked. Once you have finished rolling and folding, the thickness of the pastry should still be 6mm.
6. On a lightly floured surface and using a smooth-edged, circular pastry cutter about 8cm diameter, cut out 12 circles of dough. Do not twist the cutter, lift lightly off and discard the leftover pieces. Hold a circle of pastry (‘the pastry skin’) in the palm of your hand and spoon one level tablespoon of the venison filling into the centre of the pastry skin. Using your index fingers and thumbs, mould the pastry skin upwards around the filling and pinch it together into a 3-pointed star shape. If you turn the puff over, it should now be a triangular shape.
7. Butter a baking sheet, and arrange the triangular puffs with the fold upwards on it. Bake in a preheated 180°C oven for 3 minutes. In a small bowl, mix together the honey and water to make a runny syrup. Remove the puffs from the oven, rotate them 180 degrees and return them to the oven. Bake for a further 3 minutes. Remove the tray again and brush the top of each puff with beaten egg yolk. Return to the oven for a further 1 minute. Remove the tray for the last time, brush on a little honey syrup, sprinkle lightly with sesame seeds and return to the oven for 20 seconds. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
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Recipe © courtesy of Alan Yau at Yauatcha
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