how to make shoe pastry

 

Have you ever wondered how to make a shoe pastry? These desserts are typically made with a choux pastry and filled with ricotta cheese and nutella. The pastry is then wrapped around the heel of a shoe, securing it in place.

In this recipe, you will learn how to make these cakes which are relatively easy to make. You will need some ingredients to make this recipe, namely:

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 – 2 cups water (not to be confused with a cup of flour!)

parchment paper (for wrapping the shoe)

cheese cloth or plastic wrap for tying the shoes in place on the parchment paper. you can also cut up old pants into long strips and use them as binding of shoe to parchment paper. this is recommended because it prevents the mix from drying too much as it kneads and rolls around without touching parchment paper directly.

a pastry brush

a spoon, preferably a silicone one

2 – 3 cups of ricotta cheese (can be store bought or made fresh) for filling the shoes. see pics for recipe!

for rolling out the shoe, you will need something to press it down and make it flat. i used a plastic crate lid from Asian grocery store which is pretty sturdy and works very well. if you don't have this, you can use your hands or a floured surface. alternatively, you can use something else like a small plate or waffle iron plate so that it flattens but does not spread out too much.

 

Image source: https://pinterest.com/

several pretty shoes for decorating for photo shoot

1. combine the flour and salt in a bowl. add water one cup at a time mixing well with a spoon. make sure there are no lumps in your mix. it should be soft and smooth.

2. press out the dough on parchment paper with your hands or rolling pin (as shown above). you can also use techniques like the ones from deflated balloon recipe to hold it down and flatten it. if you do this, you will have to work quickly before the edges get too stiff and unable to hold your shape anymore so that they don't tear off or stick to anything when rolled up shoe  :

3. apply some flour on top of dough and roll out to about 1/4 inch thickness.

4. if you're using plastic sheet, you can simply fold it over the bottom of the shoes and press until it is flat:

 

Image source: https://www.dsw.com/

5. apply some flour on top of the plastic sheet or parchment paper and use it to flatten your dough:

6. apply a thin layer of ricotta cheese all over the surface of the paper (the inside as well if you used plastic sheet). spread evenly:

7. apply some flour on top and roll it up to form a cylinder:

8. press the cylinder flat and seal the edges with the heel of a shoe. use parchment paper and tie it closed:

9. feed the pastry towards your heel and wrap it around tightly over the shoe:

10. you can use a fork to poke holes just below where you are tying up your shoes. this will help cheese to come out as you reveal your shoes:

11. pat down again, flour lightly if necessary, then fill with additional ricotta cheese by adding more cheese between your folds of fabric (or parchment paper)