puff pastry

I'm making tarts for a gig. I'm using puff pastry (commercially bought - not my own). Can I make them ahead of time - the day before? They will be shaped like a cup. If I can make them the day before, how would I store them? Thanks for your help.

I forgot to ask also: What's the best way to store chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, and fudge that I'll make for this same gig 1-2 days ahead of time?

[Pooh]

Your cookies should keep nicely in tightly sealed containers, either plastic or metal. I would keep the flavours separated though.

[momoreg]

Depending on the humidity, your puff patry may or may not hold up. Is it possible to have the dough prepped for the oven, so that it can be baked the day of th event? It may save you the stress of potentially soggy pastry.

Yeah, Momoreg, I can bake them the day of, in the professional oven at church. Should I just keep the puff pastry in the box "as is" or cut them in rounds as the recipe dictates? (They will be blind baked,cupped over ramekins to shape them). If I can cut them ahead of time, how should I then store them to use the next day before baking?

[momoreg]

You can cut them and shape them the day before. Keep it airtight if possible, so the dough doesn't dry out.

[W.DeBord]

Hum... baked over a ramikin...you must bake one ahead of time to test this, because the shape might not hold. When the pastry puffs in the oven it might slide off your cups. Also since there is no weight on top pastry, the cup shape might not remain so it may not be a "container shape" as you are expecting.

You did also understand your keeping this stored wrapped in the freezer after you've shaped them? Take it out about 1 hr. before your event and put it into a refridgerator to defrost. Bake the dough straight from the cooler. Usually you would prick the bottom with a fork so it doesn't rise as high as the sides.

I learned a trick where you can bake your pastry ahead of time regardless of humidity. When it's 3/4's of the way baked, take it out of the oven and brush it (professionally I spray it, thats' easiest)with very warm corn syrup. The corn syrup gives the pastry a lovely shine and it seals the dough so it will remain crisp and flaky. The pastry will even look great the next day instead of dull and old.

[momoreg]

Another trick is to bake them the day before, then refresh them in the oven the next day, but if you have time the day of the event, it's better freshly baked.

I agree with W. Debord. You should test it. Puff pastry doesn't hold a cup shape that way, unless you have something that will fit snugly over the dough to hold it in place. But I hoped that Grasshopper had already tested it.

[thebighat]

You can always use phyllo instead of puff dough to make cups.

[W.DeBord]

Phyllo works great also and really forms nicely.

You can definetly use puff pastry but you are going to need to shape/form it differently. I can't verbaly describe how I cut using a square shape...which makes a nice container.

You can cut a round, then place another round the same size with the center cut out on top of it. Use water to clue the two pieces together. Then indent the center which will form the bottom to decease it's rise. Then bake, you can scrap out abit of the center to make it a thinner bottom crust so you can put more filling into it.

You can also bake it between two cups. They will weight it down so it will hold your shape. This way will take longer to bake but be patient and don't take it out of the oven until it crisps up and browns abit.

[momoreg]

Yes, vol au vents are what you're referring to, right?

[LoriB]

I own some puff pastry cutters that score the center of the shape so that after it's baked, the center piece can be removed, leaving a container for whatever your filling is. I got them from NY Cake - they do not have plain round ones, but the same thing could be done simply using a set of round cutters in the desired circumference. Scoring the center just requires the right touch so as not to cut all the way through - but this would seem much simpler to me. The shapes could be baked off the day of and could be easily cut from partially defrosted puff pastry sheets (this had worked well for me in the past).
Thoughts?

[momoreg]

Yes, those cutters are great!

[W.DeBord]

Vol au vents, exactly.

I wish they had a name for the square shape, where you cross over the sides. I'm sure you know what I mean but I have no words for them. It's the easiest and has the least amount of "waste"...but describe it with out a drawing...I can't.

Being new here, I don't know who's experienced and who's isn't yet, so......

[Anneke]

I know the ones you're talking about W. In the Cordon Bleu book they just call them 'feuilletés'. You just cut out a square, fold it diagonally to make a triangle. Then you cut out a 1 cm border but you leave it attached at the right angle. You then unfold the trangle, brush the edges with egg wash. You pick up the border strip and fold it to the opposite side, and do the same with the other side. I've made those before; they are crowd pleasers. I've had a bit of trouble because they can puff up too much and lose their shape but if the pâte feuilletée is thin enough, it should work just fine.