Expert: Elyse Grau - 12/4/2009

Question
Hi~

I want to make an appetizer that requires puff pastry.  The recipe says that the pastry should be rolled out and cut into 2 inch rounds, then baked with a baking rack on top of them to prevent them from rising too high.

The appeetizers are for a party out of town.  I don't know if there will be a baking rack available, so my questions are: 1) is there a substitute for a baking rack? and 2) could the puff pastry shells be prepared the day before, then stored and transported?

Thank you!

Answer
Casey:
The answer to both your questions is yes. You can simply "dock" the pastry, which means poke holes with a fork over the entire surface. The pastry should be kept cold, so if you are transporting it  you will either need to carry it on ice, or pre-baking may be the answer. The problem there is that they will be fragile, so would need to be packed carefully. If you are driving it probably won't be a problem. Also, depending on the recipe, if you bake them the day before you may want to under-bake them slightly and then brown them at the destination.

Elyse