Duff Pastry?

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drmoss_ca
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Duff Pastry?

Post by drmoss_ca »

This is a new concept to me, and I'm wondering if anyone has come across it in their locales. 'Duff' to me implies a steamed pudding - flour, suet and raisins, say, for Wiltshire's Figgy Duff aka Plum Pudding. The figs and the plums are actually raisins in both; get over it. But I lately came across the idea of 'duff pastry' used as a topping or encasement for roast meats in Newfoundland, rather like the puff pastry of a Beef Wellington. The recipe is a bizarre cross between pastry and dough, and turns out like a biscuit (ie scone) recipe that gets cooked around a savoury dish.

For example:
2 cups white flour
1/3 cup sugar (!)
1/4 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
1/2 cup evaporated milk

Yes, it's a complex biscuit recipe that gets rolled out and placed on top of a roasting dish with a joint in it. I tried it out today, but since I can't serve Her Majesty meat, I made a Deeper 'n Ever Pie (turnip, parsnip, carrot, potato, onion, pepper, apple, raisins, chestnuts, morels in a gravy of cornstarch, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, red wine and vegetable water), with this duff pastry as the lid. Delicious! Like making dumplings in a stew, but a bit more crispy as only the underside gets wet. I think a sturdy cotriade or chowder would go very well underneath it; the biscuits are included - literally!
Given that this sort of thing is unknown in Ye Olde England, and biscuit type things are typically north American, I'm guessing it will sound familiar to someone here. Anyone seen/made/tasted anything like this?
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EL Alamein
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Joined: Thu Jul 13, 2006 7:55 pm

Re: Duff Pastry?

Post by EL Alamein »

Never heard of it but it looks delicious.

Chris
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