What dough is this, and how would I go about making this ?

[larry_stewart]

A few weeks ago I was at the Waldorf Astoria in NYC attending a conference. After one of the lectures, they had some food available for the attendees. We got out at 11am but we weren't allowed to eat until 11:30am. I couldn't wait, so I snuck over the the table and grabbed whatever wasn't covered. The only thing was these little breadstick kinda things. Description as follows:
-About 6 inches long, 3/4 inch wide and maybe 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick. ( In the pic it clearly doesn't look 6 inches long, thats because I had already ate about 4 inches of it
-Top layer was a semi crispy, buttery dough with ( what I think was) asiago cheese sprinkled and baked on until crisp.
-Middle layer was an Olive tapenade
- bottom layer was a flatter piece of dough, more doughy than crispy ( when compared to the top layer), and definitely not as well done.

So my question is, what kind of dough do you think this was ? and, How do you think it was made ( including baking time and temp).

I have an idea in my head of what it is, I just don't want to point anyone in the wrong direction if Im wrong.

What I can say is it was definitely not Phyllo dough.

Below are pictures of top, bottom, side and open view.
Sorry the pictures aren't great, but I was trying not to make a spectacle of myself , since i should have been focussing more on the lecture content than what they were serving for lunch

 

[Steve Kroll]

It almost looks like fried wonton wrappers to me. Especially in the third photo.

 

[CharlieD]

The reason the top and bottom were different in my opinion is because of all those fillers. They did not allow the bottom layer to get to the crispy condition like the top. I bet it was regularly breadstick dough.


Sent from my iPhone using Discuss Cooking

 

[jennyema]

You're lucky to get there before the place closes down!!

I think Charlie is right that it's the same dough ...

I googled WA catering menu and phyllo crisp with olive tapenade came up... But you don't think it's that....

Maybe a Chou dough?

Whatever it is it has to be cheap and easy enough to work for some large scale catering

 

[larry_stewart]

Didn't appear flakey or light enough to be phyllo.
I agree with Charlie that the difference of top to bottom is just the cooking process as one is on top and getting crispy as the bottom is protected more from the heat, and probably getting moist from the tapenade.
it almost looked as if they made it in a sheet, and just cut them to size.

And yeah, didn't know it was closing for 3 years until a few days after , when I heard it on the news.

 

[Aunt Bea]

Could it be a thin layer of puff pastry, top and bottom, baked with a filling of the olive mixture and topped with a sprinkle of cheese, baked on a sheet and cut into serving sized pieces when the tray comes out of the oven. If not, it should be!

 

[larry_stewart]

Could it be a thin layer of puff pastry, top and bottom, baked with a filling of the olive mixture and topped with a sprinkle of cheese, baked on a sheet and cut into serving sized pieces when the tray comes out of the oven. If not, it should be!

Thats what I was thinking, but Ive only worked with puff pastry once, so I have nothing really compare it too.

 

[dragnlaw]

Well, it is closed to a year since this posting. Have you tried it yet?

I agree with Aunt Bea in that it is a puff pastry layered with teh tapenade, sprinkled with cheese, cut before baking or after - you would have to experiment to see which comes out the cleanest.

Matter of fact, think this is now on my to try list coming up soon!

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I agree that this is puff pastry, not the kind you make by folding and folding layers of dough and butter, but rather, that made from Choux paste. If you are planning on re-creating the item, remember, the choux paste is piped onto a parchment paper covered cookie sheet, placed into the oven, and left alone until done. The moisture in the choux past turns to steam and creates the puffy eclair. If you open your oven door while the eclairs are still baking, they will fall, and not create that beautiful little hollow space that is waiting to be filled.

Hope this helps.

Seeeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[dragnlaw]

Chief never thought of Choux paste. Think you are right!