They are the perfect on the go snack or even an at-your-own-leisure with coffee snack at home! This recipe gives you steamy pâté chaud at home that you can share with friends and family when the cravings hit.
Origins
Bánh patê sô translates to “hot meat pie.” Similar to Vietnamese foods like banh mi, pâté chaud or bánh patê sô, also has origins from French colonialism. In the mid 19th century, French chef Urbain Dubois described a pastry called Pâté-chaud à la Marinière, a French seafood pie covered with a puff pastry shell; This pastry is thought to be an early influence on bánh patê sô. These days, I usually pick some up from local little Saigon shops like Bánh Mì Chè Cali or Gala Coffee. However, if you don’t live near a large Vietnamese population, you can make it at home using this recipe.
The puff pastry
I would like to thank Ina Garten for instilling in me the idea that store bought is a fine option if you don’t have time to make a puff pastry dough–who has time to make dough when a pâté chaud craving hits? Not this dude. For this recipe, we used store-bought puff pastry (Pepperidge Farm to be exact) and it works great. Puff pastry is finely tuned dough with hundreds layers of alternating butter and dough (700+ layers in the classic version). It’s your job to keep those layers of butter cold and solid. In the oven, the water in the dough evaporates and the fatty butter melts into the layers and helps each layer expand into light, flaky goodness that is puff pastry. The easiest way to defrost puff pastry is to leave it to thaw on your counter for one to two hours before using. You want to make sure it’s still a little bit frozen, then carefully unfold the dough to prevent it from cracking. If you notice some cracks when unfolding, you can use a rolling pin to lightly roll out the cracks. Try not to overwork the dough though! To get the optimum puff in your pastry, after you assemble your pâté chaud, chill the dough again in the fridge to re-solidify the butter in the pastry before putting it into the oven. I like to cut about three by three squares of puff pastry for each pâté chaud because it’s a nice size for finger food.
The filling
Pâté chaud filling ranges from ground pork to other variations that include ground beef or chicken. You can also add other items such as wood ear mushrooms, pâté, oyster sauce, or more. For this photo set went with chicken, for a healthier alternative than the popular pork. The beauty of this meat pie is that you can customize it based on your preferences. I actually prefer the traditionalist route with ground pork sauteed with onions. Just a quick tip, sweating the onions beforehand improves the aroma of pâté chaud greatly, and reduces the amount of moisture in your meat mixture–helping the puff pastry get a better rise.
Serving
You can make these ahead of time and then reheat them in the toaster oven when you’re ready to eat. I love to eat piping hot pâté chaud with a fresh cup of Vietnamese coffee, or if you have a sweet tooth, icy coconut Vietnamese coffee. For another version of a meat pie, you can also make Filipino beef empanadas, which have a slightly sweeter filling and pie crust dough. If you want a sweet dessert, I would suggest making my guava and cheese puff pastries.
