Chef Juliette
Various Almond Preparations
Five almond preparations, one discipline: remove the skins cleanly, dry every kernel through, then cut, toast, or cloak it in pale caramel without letting its fragrant oils escape.
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Small Hot Patties
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 2392, Small Hot Patties, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Two rounds of puff-paste, one hazelnut of savory forcemeat, and a clean water seal: petits pâtés chauds rise crisp and butter-gold in a hot oven, ready to pass before dinner.
Appetizers & Snacks
French
Dinner Party
Celebration
Make Ahead
1 hr
Active Time
14 min cook•1 hr 20 min total
Yield12 small patties (4 to 6 appetizer servings)
Petits pâtés chauds (small hot patties) teach that the seal is the dish. Two rounds of puff-paste can carry a hazelnut of forcemeat into a fierce oven only when the lower round is barely moistened and the upper is pressed cleanly around the filling. Too much water makes the layers slide; too much forcemeat bursts the seam. Get that ring tight and the oven does the rest, lifting the paste into butter-gold shells around a juicy center.
The original entry assumes a pastry station had puff-paste ready, a cold station had forcemeat chilled, and trays could move straight into a thoroughly hot oven. There is no saucier, standing stockpot, or salamander to replace here; the brigade advantage was prepared components and reliable heat. At home, one package of all-butter pastry, a small bowl mixed by hand, and an oven fully heated to 425°F (220°C) give the same intent. This version makes twelve and uses a restrained pork-and-veal forcemeat because the source leaves the filling unspecified. The 3-inch rounds, thinner bases cut from the trimmings, hazelnut portions, water seal, gilding, and hot 12-to-14-minute bake all remain.
Making a full batch of puff-paste and several forcemeats for service is brigade scaffolding; buying one honest all-butter sheet and mixing only what twelve patties require can go. The damp seal and the blunt 2-inch cutter press cannot. Keep both pastry and filling cold, then make the sealing ring firm without crushing the layers. That is the step that matters most.
Petits pâtés chauds belong to the French classical hors-d'oeuvre tray rather than to one regional larder, with Parisian dining rooms and caterers refining them into small, uniform bites. Their name preserves the working meaning of pâté as both the seasoned filling and the paste enclosing it, not merely meat baked in a separate dish. The miniature form made a larger pâté easy to pass by hand, but retained the exact construction of filling enclosed before baking.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
all-butter puff pastry
Quantity
14 oz (400 g)
thoroughly chilled
finely ground pork shoulder
Quantity
2.6 oz (75 g)
very cold
finely ground veal
Quantity
1.8 oz (50 g)
very cold
heavy cream
Quantity
2 teaspoons (10 ml / 10 g)
very cold
fine sea salt
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml / 3 g)
ground white pepper
Quantity
1/8 teaspoon (0.6 ml / 0.3 g)
freshly grated nutmeg
Quantity
1/16 teaspoon (0.3 ml / 0.15 g)
all-purpose flour
Quantity
1 tablespoon (15 ml / 8 g)
for dusting
cold water
Quantity
1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g)
for sealing
large egg
Quantity
1
for gilding
cold water
Quantity
1 teaspoon (5 ml / 5 g)
for gilding
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| all-butter puff pastrythoroughly chilled | 14 oz (400 g) |
| finely ground pork shouldervery cold | 2.6 oz (75 g) |
| finely ground vealvery cold | 1.8 oz (50 g) |
| heavy creamvery cold | 2 teaspoons (10 ml / 10 g) |
| fine sea salt | 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml / 3 g) |
| ground white pepper | 1/8 teaspoon (0.6 ml / 0.3 g) |
| freshly grated nutmeg | 1/16 teaspoon (0.3 ml / 0.15 g) |
| all-purpose flourfor dusting | 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 8 g) |
| cold waterfor sealing | 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) |
| large eggfor gilding | 1 |
| cold waterfor gilding | 1 teaspoon (5 ml / 5 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •Rolling pin
- •3-inch (7.5 cm) smooth round cutter
- •2-inch (5 cm) round cutter with a blunt back
- •Small pastry brush
- •Heavy parchment-lined baking sheet
- •Instant-read thermometer
- •Kitchen scale
Instructions
- 1
Mix the forcemeat
Combine the cold pork, veal, cream, salt, white pepper, and nutmeg. Stir firmly with a wooden spoon for 60 to 90 seconds, until the mixture becomes tacky and holds together rather than crumbling. Fry a teaspoonful in a small dry pan, taste it, and correct the seasoning. Cover and chill the remaining forcemeat for at least 15 minutes. If the fat begins to smear or the mixture turns loose, stop and return it to the cold before mixing further.
- 2
Heat the oven
Set a rack in the upper-middle position and heat the oven fully to 425°F (220°C). Line a heavy baking sheet with parchment. Give a domestic oven at least 20 minutes after it signals that it is hot; fierce, settled heat fixes the pastry layers before their butter can run onto the tray.
- 3
Stamp the roundels
Dust the work surface lightly with flour and roll the chilled puff-paste to 1/6 inch (4 mm) thick. With an even 3-inch (7.5 cm) round cutter, stamp out 12 roundels by pressing straight down without twisting. Keep these thicker rounds cold. Stack the trimmings without kneading them, roll them somewhat thinner to a scant 1/8 inch (2.5 to 3 mm), and stamp out 12 matching roundels. Lay these thinner rounds 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart on the prepared tray; they are the bases.
If the paste springs back or feels soft, chill it for 10 minutes. Forcing warm pastry only smears its butter and distorts the circles. - 4
Moisten and fill
Divide the chilled forcemeat into 12 rounded portions of about 2 teaspoons (10 g) each, roughly the size of a hazelnut in its shell. With a small brush, slightly moisten a 1/2-inch (1.25 cm) ring around the edge of every base. The pastry should darken faintly but carry no droplets. Set one ball of forcemeat in each center without flattening it. Keep the filling away from the damp ring, since fat on the join prevents a clean seal.
- 5
Cover and seal
Lay the thicker roundels over the forcemeat, easing each one down without stretching it. Center the blunt back of a 2-inch (5 cm) round cutter over the mound and press firmly enough to join the moistened pastry in a complete ring, but not hard enough to cut through it. Leave the outer rim uncrushed so it can rise. If a seam gapes, lift that section, remove a pinch of filling, barely moisten it again, and repeat the press. Ça se rattrape.
Do not fork-crimp the outer edge. The smaller cutter seals close to the filling while leaving a free border of laminated pastry to lift in the oven. - 6
Chill and gild
Chill the sealed patties on their tray for 15 minutes. This restores the cold state that the original working kitchen assumed. Beat the egg with the remaining teaspoon of cold water, then gild the tops with a thin, even coating. Keep the egg from running down the cut sides, where it would glue the pastry layers together; if it drips, wick it away with the dry brush.
- 7
Bake hot and fast
Bake without opening the oven for the first 10 minutes, then inspect the patties. Continue until they are well risen, deeply gilded, and crisp underneath, 12 to 14 minutes in total. The forcemeat must reach at least 160°F (71°C) at the center. If the pastry colors before the filling reaches that temperature, cover the tray loosely with foil, lower the oven to 400°F (200°C), and give it another 2 to 3 minutes. Rest for 3 minutes, then pass them hot. À table!
Chef Tips
- •All-butter puff pastry, not margarine-based paste. The butter gives these little patties their flavor as well as their lift, and there is nowhere for a waxy substitute to hide.
- •The source specifies forcemeat without naming its composition, as a classical kitchen would already have several ready. This restrained pork-and-veal mixture is firm enough to seal cleanly and juicy enough to endure the hot bake without soaking the pastry.
- •Use smooth cutters measuring exactly 3 inches (7.5 cm) and 2 inches (5 cm). The larger one fixes the portion; the smaller one creates the sealing ring that keeps the filling enclosed.
- •Pass the patties after their brief rest, while the layers remain crisp. Brut Champagne or a dry Crémant has enough acidity to meet the butter and seasoned meat without crowding them.
Advance Preparation
- •The forcemeat can be mixed, covered, and chilled up to 1 day ahead. Keep it properly cold and shape the portions only when assembling.
- •The patties can be assembled and sealed up to 8 hours ahead. Cover the tray loosely and refrigerate, then gild immediately before baking.
- •If they must be reheated, cool them uncovered on a rack and return them to a 400°F (200°C) oven for 5 to 6 minutes. Covering them while warm traps moisture and softens the pastry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (2 patties, about 80g)
Calories
325 calories
Total Fat
21 g
Saturated Fat
11 g
Trans Fat
1 g
Unsaturated Fat
9 g
Cholesterol
90 mg
Sodium
440 mg
Total Carbohydrates
25 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
1 g
Protein
9 g
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