Still thinking about the fish-sausage metaphors...

... the pig in a blanket bit, to be more specific, at the end.

So, what did I do with my day off from work?

1.  Find a sausage and make some pastry dough (see recipe below).

See, I said the head was just a draped triangle while describing pattern-making.  Not just my normal delusional ramblings...

2.  Finish draping the sausage and make the necessary upgrades.

Try not to get too attached.  You will be exposing your new friend to high heat, dispatching with a sharp instrument, then supping on the meaty-goodness.  Most likely with ketchup.

3. Brush with egg wash and decorate.

I think his name is Edgar and he is a Chinook Salmon.  Not that accuracy or standards will have a dramatic impact on the finished product, mind you.  Anywho, I am using paprika (red), matcha (green), turmeric (yellow), salt (pink), and nigella (black) for my pigments.

4. Bake, remove, and greet Edgar.

Hello there, Edgar.

5.  Sorry, Edgar.

This is just awkward now.

Multi-Purpose Pastry...

In all fairness, this is a crime against pie crust, biscuits, and puff pastry, but you wind up with a very forgiving dough.  As in, it will hold up to reheating, sculpting, and oozing fillings, while still possessing a good flake.

I am giving volumes and not weights because I am too lazy to use a scale.

Sift into a bowl (or dump it in and stir with a nonjudgmental fork):

2.5 cups of unbleached flour

0.25 cups of white sugar

0.5 tbs baking powder

2 tsp kosher salt

For later: 1 stick of chilled butter and cold water 

Here's later:  Gently work into the dry ingredients 0.5 cups (1 stick) of chilled, unsalted butter, pre-cut into 1.5 in. cubes.  Do this very gingerly with just your finger-tips.  Once the butter inclusions look to be the size of peas, either in the round or that same volume transformed to a crushed flake, stop touching.

Add in just enough cold water to get the dough to come together.  The amount of water will change depending on the day's weather and the freshness of your flour, so be prepared for anything.  Generally, it is about 0.75 cups.

Make a 'brick' of the dough, approximately 5x8 in., on a sheet of plastic wrap.  Wrap up your brick and chill for half an hour.

On a floured surface, roll out your dough to 0.25 in. thickness.  Fold inward in thirds, one direction, then in the other (so right to left, then up and down).  Basically, 4 folds total.  Or whatever.  The folds give you flaked layers, so fold as you like.  Re-wrap and chuck brick back into the fridge to chill for another half hour.

Do this folding and chilling procedure two more times.

Pre-heat your oven to 375 F., with a rack in the middle.  Get an egg wash ready (half egg, half water) and any other items to tart up your dough.

Roll out your dough to 0.25 in. thickness and use it as you like.  Bake until golden.