Professional cooks use butter for pastry. Puff paste should never be attempted with lard or a half mixture of it. If lard or clarified beef suet is used, the pastry of an indifferent cook will be improved by adding a little baking-powder to the flour and rolling the paste very thin.

It is not difficult to make puff paste. In winter, when it is freezing outdoors, or in summer, when a refrigerator with ice in it is at hand, it is very little more trouble to make puff paste than any other kind. The simple rolling of the dough to form layers requires very little practice. The only secret left, after using cold water and butter cold enough not to penetrate the dough, is to have it almost at a freezing-point, or at least thoroughly chilled, as it is put into a hot oven.

The vols-au-vent of strawberries, or berries of any kind, or of jellies, or of lemon paste (see page 244), and also rissoles, are especially fine, and are quickly made.

As hundreds of different dishes can be made with pastry, and as CarÊme has devoted a good-sized volume to the subject, I will copy his receipt for puff paste. It is not modest, perhaps, to put my own first; but it is for the benefit of more ordinary cooks, who will never take extra trouble to make a thing perfect.

Puff Paste.

Ingredients: One pound of flour, three-quarters of a pound of butter, yolks of two eggs, a little salt, a sprinkle of sugar, a little very cold (or, better, ice-cold) water. (All the professional cooks use a pound of butter to a pound of flour. I think it makes the pastry too rich, and prefer three-quarters of a pound of butter to a pound of flour.)

Sift and weigh the flour, and put it on the board or marble slab; sprinkle a little salt and a very little sugar over it. Beat the yolks of the eggs, and then stir into them a few spoonfuls of ice-cold water; pour this slowly into the centre of the flour with the left hand, working it at the same time well into the mass with the tips of the fingers of the right hand. Continue to work it, turning the fingers round and round on the board, until you have a well-worked, smooth, and firm paste. Now roll it out into a rectangular form, being particular to have the edges quite straight. Much of success depends upon the even folding of the paste. Work the butter (which should be kept some minutes in very cold water if it is at all soft) until the moisture and salt are wiped out, and it is quite supple; care must be taken, however, to keep the butter from getting too soft, as in this condition it would ruin the paste. Divide it into three equal parts; spread one part as flatly and evenly as possible over half of the crust, turn the other half over it, folding it a second time from right to left. Roll this out to the same rectangular form as before; spread the second portion of the butter on half of the crust; fold and roll it out again as before, repeating the same process with the third portion of butter. The paste has now been given what they call three turns; it should be given six turns, turning and rolling the paste after the butter is in. However, after the first three turns, or after the butter is all in, the paste should be placed on the ice, or in a cold place, to remain about ten or fifteen minutes between each of the last three turns: this will prevent the butter getting soft enough to penetrate the dough. Each time before the dough is folded, it should be turned half round, so as to roll it in a different direction each time; this makes the layers more even. In order to turn the paste, the end may be held to the rolling-pin; then, rolling the pin, the dough will fold loosely around it; the board may be sprinkled with flour; then the dough can be unrolled in the side direction. This is better than to turn it with the hands, as it should be handled as little as possible. When folded the last time, put the paste on a platter, cover, and place it on the ice for half an hour, or where it may become thoroughly chilled; then roll it out for immediate use; or, so long as it is kept in a half-frozen state, it may be kept for one or two days. Firm, solid butter should be selected for puff paste; a light, crumbling butter would be very unsuitable. After the pies, patties, or other articles are made (as in receipts), the scraps may be used for making rissoles. Always select the coolest place possible for making puff paste. In winter it is well to make it by an open window.

CarÊme’s Receipt for Puff Paste.

Ingredients: Twelve ounces of fine sifted flour, twelve ounces of butter, two drams of fine salt, and the yolks of two eggs beaten.

Manner of working: Having placed twelve ounces of flour on the board, make a small hole in the middle, into which put two drams of fine salt, the yolks of two eggs, and nearly a glass of water. With the ends of the fingers gradually mix the flour with the ingredients, adding a little water when necessary, till the paste is of a proper consistence—rather firm than otherwise. Then lean your hand on the board, and work it for some minutes, when the paste will become soft to the touch and glossy in appearance.

Care must be taken, in mixing the flour with the liquid ingredients, that they do not escape, and that the paste be very lightly gathered together, to prevent it from forming into lumps, which render it stiff, and very difficult to be worked, thereby in some degree causing a failure, which is easily ascertained by the paste, when drawn out, immediately receding, which arises from its having been clumsily and irregularly mixed. To remedy this, let it be carefully rolled out, placing here and there five or six pieces of butter, each the size of a nutmeg, when, after working it as before, it will acquire the degree of softness necessary. It is of importance to observe that this paste should be neither too soft nor too hard, but of a proper medium; yet it is better to be a little too soft than too stiff. One should not choose a hot place in which to make paste: for this reason, summer renders the operation quite difficult. If one can not find a cool place, the paste might be slightly stiffer in summer than in winter.

When the paste has been made as above, take three-quarters of a pound of butter in pieces, which has been twenty minutes in ice-water, well washed and pounded. Squeeze and work it well in a napkin, in order to separate the water from it, and at the same time to render it soft, and, above all, of an equal consistence; then, as quickly as possible, roll the paste into a square on a marble slab (the ends must be perfectly even, as much success depends upon folding); place the butter in the middle; spread it over half the paste, immediately turning over the other half of the paste to cover it. Then roll the paste out about three feet in length; fold it into three parts by doubling one part over the other; after which roll it out again, and fold it once more into three equal parts; now roll it to a greater length, fold it, and put it quickly on a plate sprinkled with flour. Place this upon ten pounds of pounded ice, then, covering it with a second plate, put upon that one pound of broken ice. This plate serves to keep the surface of the paste cool, and also to prevent its becoming soft by the action of the air. After two or three minutes, remove the plate, and turn the paste upside down, instantly covering it as before. After about fifteen minutes, roll it out, and use it as expeditiously as possible.

Thus, in less than half an hour, it is possible to make very fine puff paste, having previously every thing ready—the ice pounded, the butter frozen, and the oven quite hot; for otherwise it can not be done. This is all-important, as it is sometimes an hour before the oven can be made hot. When the oven is half heated, begin to make the paste.

The great variety of elegant and delicate forms[F] this paste is made to assume justifies one for giving such explicit instructions, and repays one for all necessary pains to make it.

For Pies.

I mean Yankee pies. Our English cousins, when speaking of pies, mean only meat-pies, calling our pies tarts. When the paste is fitted over the pie-plate, cut round the edge of it with a sharp knife dipped in flour. Now cut a long curved strip, about three-quarters of an inch wide, wet slightly the top of the paste on the pie-plate near the edge (not the edge), and fit the strip around the pie, the edges coming together. Fill the pie, and place in the oven as soon as possible.

Pie Paste of Lard and Butter (Mrs. Treat).

Rub a half pound of fresh lard into a pound of flour; use just enough of very cold water to bind it together; roll it out rather thin, and spread butter over the surface; now fold the paste, turning it twice; roll it out again, dredging the board (a marble slab is preferable) with flour; spread on more butter as before, and fold it again. The same process is continued a third time, using in all a quarter of a pound of butter, which should at first be divided into three equal parts.[G]

A Common Paste (for Meat-pies and Puddings).

Ingredients: One pound of flour, half a pound of lard, two tea-spoonfuls of yeast-powder, and a little cold water.

First mix well the yeast-powder into the sifted flour; then rub in very carelessly and lightly the lard, distributing it in rather coarse pieces. Now pour in enough cold water to bind it together loosely, using the separated fingers of the right hand to turn the flour lightly, while the water is being poured in with the left hand; roll it out in its rough state; prepare the dish, and bake or boil immediately.

An Apple-pie (CarÊme).

Select fine apples; pare them, and take out the cores without breaking them. Boil several whole in a stew-pan with a little lemon-juice, a very little of the yellow part of the peel, some sugar, and enough water to cover them, until nearly done. Quarter other apples; put them also on the fire with a little water, lemon-peel, lemon-juice, and sugar; boil these to a kind of marmalade; add some butter and peach marmalade, and rub it through a colander. Have some pie-plates covered with puff paste; fill the bottom with the marmalade, and put in four small apples (whole) to each pie, filling the cavities between with peach marmalade. Put two strips of crust (half an inch wide) across the pie, which will divide the apples. Bake in a quick oven. This is especially good served with cream.

A Plain Apple-pie (Miss Amanda Newton).

Slice pippin apples, and put them between two layers of pie-paste, with enough water to keep them moist. When they are baked, lift the crust carefully off with a knife, and put it aside; now mash the apples with a spoon, season them with plenty of sugar, butter, and grated nutmeg; replace the top crust and sprinkle sugar over it. These pies are especially nice when freshly made, then allowed to cool, and served with cream poured over each piece as it is cut, ready to be eaten.

I think the flavor of the apple is better preserved in this manner than if the seasoning were cooked in it. However, many stew the apples first, before baking them in the pie.

Fruit and Berry Pies, or Tarts.

In England, only an upper crust is made. In this country there is generally only an under crust, with bars of paste crossed over the top. I prefer this mode; but these tarts should always be served fresh, or the under crust will become soaked and unwholesome. The berries or fruits are first stewed with sugar to taste, then baked, or not baked in the crust, as preferred.

Lemon-pie (Mrs. Hunt), No. 1.

Ingredients: One heaping table-spoonful of corn starch, one cupful of boiling water, one cupful of sugar, one egg, one table-spoonful of butter, and one small lemon.

Moisten a heaping table-spoonful of corn starch with a little cold water, then add a cupful of boiling water; stir this over the fire for two or three minutes, allowing it to boil, and cook the starch; add a tea-spoonful of butter and a cupful of sugar; remove the mixture from the fire, and when slightly cooled, add an egg, well-beaten, and the juice and grated rind of a fresh lemon. This makes one pie, and should be baked with the crust.

Lemon-pie (Long Branch), No. 2.

Ingredients: Four eggs, four table-spoonfuls of sugar, two-thirds of a cupful of flour, nearly a quart of milk, two small lemons, a little salt.[H]

Bake two under-crusts. Mix the egg-yolks and sugar well together. Bring the milk to the boiling-point, then add the flour mixed with some of the milk, to prevent lumping. Stir it until it has thickened and cooked, when remove it from the fire to stir in the yolks and sugar; return it for a minute to set the eggs; again remove it, and flavor with lemon-juice and grated rind; when the crusts are done, spread over cream, and over this spread the beaten whites of the eggs sweetened and flavored. Put it into the oven a few minutes to color.

Orange-pie (Mrs. Miller).

Ingredients: Half a pound of sugar, quarter of a pound of butter, two oranges, six eggs.

Grate the rinds of the oranges, and squeeze the juice. Cream the butter, and by degrees add the sugar. Beat in the yolks of the eggs (already well beaten), then the rind and juice of the oranges. Beat the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth, and mix them lightly in the other ingredients. Bake in paste-lined tin pie-plates.

Pumpkin-pie (Mrs. Otis, of Boston), No. 1.

Pare a small pumpkin, and take out the seeds; stew it rather dry, and strain it through a colander; add two quarts of milk, three eggs, and three table-spoonfuls of molasses; let the remainder of the sweetening (to taste) be of sugar; season it with two table-spoonfuls of ground cinnamon, one of ginger, and two tea-spoonfuls of salt.

Pumpkin-pie (No. 2).

Cut the pumpkin into large pieces, and bake with the skins on; scoop out the soft pumpkin pulp, and proceed as with stewed pumpkin.

Mince-pies (Mrs. Bonner), No. 1.

Ingredients: Four pounds of lean, cold boiled meat chopped fine, nine pounds of apples chopped fine, one and a half pounds of suet chopped fine, three pounds of raisins, two pounds of currants, half a pound of citron sliced fine, five pounds of sugar, three tea-spoonfuls of ground cloves, ten tea-spoonfuls of ground cinnamon, five tea-spoonfuls of ground mace, one tea-spoonful of ground black pepper, six table-spoonfuls of salt, one quart of cider and vinegar mixed with one quart of molasses.

Mix all, and add the juice and grated rinds of two lemons; or, instead of cider, vinegar, and molasses, one quart of sherry and one pint of brandy may be substituted. Keep this mince-meat in stone jars; add a little more liquor, if it should become too dry, when about to make pies.

Mince-pies (Mrs. Hazard), No. 2.

Boil, until tender, a beef’s tongue which has been kept in salt four or five days; when cold, chop it fine, and add to it two pounds of suet (also chopped fine), two pounds of raisins, two pounds of Zante currants (previously washed and drained), twelve large apples (chopped), four pounds of sugar, the grated rind of one, and the juice and pulp of two large oranges, a cupful of strawberry or of raspberry jam, a cupful of quince preserve, three-quarters of a pound of citron shaved fine, two table-spoonfuls of ground cinnamon, and one table-spoonful of nutmeg. Moisten it with the spiced vinegar from the sweet peach-pickle jar, and add the juice and grated rinds of four lemons.

Potato-pie (Mrs. Osborne).

Ingredients: Two pounds of boiled potatoes sifted, six eggs, three-quarters of a pound of butter, one pound of sugar, one lemon grated and squeezed into the potatoes while hot, half a nutmeg grated, half a pint of wine, one and a half of rich milk.

Rub the sugar and butter to a cream; add the yolks well beaten, then the potatoes, etc., lastly the whites of the eggs beaten to a stiff froth. Bake with an under crust only.

Pine-apple-pie (“Choice Receipts”).

Ingredients: A grated pine-apple and its weight in sugar, half its weight in butter, five eggs (the whites beaten to a stiff froth), one cupful of cream.

Cream the butter, and beat it with the sugar and yolks until very light; add the cream, the pine-apple, and the whites of the eggs. Bake with an under crust. To be eaten cold.

Chess-pie.

A gentleman friend spoke to me so often about a wonderfully delicious pie that a lady friend in the country made, that it is not surprising that a person of my culinary tastes should have been very curious. “I will send for the receipt,” said I. “But that will not benefit you,” he replied, “for I have given the receipt to several of my friends, and they never succeed. Instead of the light production three or four inches high of my country friend, the others are heavy, waxy affairs, very different.” I actually took a little journey to see the lady, to get any side explanations from her own lips. I was repaid, as you will see by trying the pie.

Ingredients: For two pies, five eggs, three quarters of a cupful of butter, one cupful of sugar, and necessary flavoring.

Beat the yolks and sugar together until they are a perfect froth. Beat the butter until it is a creamy froth also. Now quickly add them together, flavoring with a little extract of vanilla. Bake it in a crust: it will rise very light. As soon as done, have ready the whites of the eggs beaten to a stiff froth, sweetened with a little sugar, and flavored with a few drops of the extract. Spread this over the tops of the pies, which return to the oven, to receive a delicate coloring.

The lady says the secret of the pies not becoming heavy is in cutting them, and distributing them on the plates, as soon as they are cooked, and still hot; that if they are allowed to cool without cutting them, they will fall. This is rather strange; nevertheless, it seems to be true.

Small Vols-au-vent, or Patty-cases.

Make puff paste as before described; give it six or seven turns, wetting the top of the paste, before turning it the last time, with water or a little lemon-juice; roll it out evenly about a third of an inch thick. Cut out as many cakes as are required with a circular tin cutter (a scolloped one is prettier) about two inches in diameter. Now take a second cutter about half an inch smaller in diameter than the first, and press it into the tops of the patties, allowing it to sink half-way through the crust; or cut the patties with a sharp penknife, tracing it around a little paste-board model.

When all are cut, brush over the tops with beaten egg, being careful not to moisten the edges; if they are to be filled with sweetmeats, sprinkle sugar over the tops. When baked, take off the marked-out covers, and cut out the centres without defacing the outsides. Keep them in a warm place until just before serving, when they should be filled, and covered with the little crust tops.

In entertaining, it will be found very convenient to purchase patty-cases at the confectioner’s. They can be reheated the last five minutes, and filled with any thing preferred made at home. They are also quite cheap.

Oysters for Vols-au-vent, Scallop-shells, or served on Buttered Toast for Breakfast (No. 1).

Bring a canful or a quart of oysters to the boiling-point in their liquor; then drain them. Put butter the size of half an egg into a saucepan, and when hot add half a small onion (cut very fine) and a tea-spoonful of flour, stirring them well; add then half a tea-cupful of the juice in a can of mushrooms, pepper, salt, a sprig of parsley (cut very fine), half a box of mushrooms (chopped not too fine); then add the oysters. Stir all together over the fire for a minute; add a few drops of lemon-juice. This is a very nice filling for vols-au-vent made as in receipt.

Oysters for Vols-au-vent, Scallop-shells, or Served on Buttered Toast for Breakfast (No. 2).

Put the oysters on the fire in their own liquor, and when they are just beginning to simmer skim them out quickly with a perforated ladle; if there is too much juice in the saucepan, pour out all except what is necessary for making a sauce of creamy thickness for the oysters; skim this well, and make it as thick as rich cream with flour and butter smoothed together (roux). Season it well with salt and Cayenne pepper; some add also a little nutmeg. When cooked enough, take the sauce off the fire, add the yolks of two or three eggs well beaten, and the oysters. Let them merely become hot again on the range without allowing them to boil. Serve immediately. If these preparations are used for scallop-shells, sprinkle some cracker-crumbs over the tops, and brown them quickly with a salamander.

Vols-au-vent of Oysters (No. 3).

Fill the vols-au-vent (made as in preceding article) with oysters prepared as follows: Beard and put them into a stew-pan with a little stock; as soon as they are cooked, cut them in two; add three or four table-spoonfuls of the oyster-liquor to the stock, and add to it a roux of a little butter and flour; add then a very little cayenne, a little nutmeg, and two or three table-spoonfuls of cream. It should be rather thicker than cream. Fill the pastry the last thing before serving, and cover with the tops.

Vols-au-vent of Sweet-breads.

Prepare the sweet-breads as described in receipt for frying them in the sautÉ pan (see page 152), preparing also the same cream-sauce. After the sweet-breads are cooked, cut them into dice, or into rather small pieces; fill the vols-au-vent with them, pouring over them a little of the cream-sauce; cover with the vols-au-vent tops.

Vols-au-vent of Chickens, Shrimps, Salmon, Mushrooms, Veal, Game, etc.

Fill the vols-au-vent with almost any kind of meat or fish cut into dice, pouring over them a very little sauce. Do not add too much sauce, as it would run through the sides. For chicken, a Bechamel or a cream sauce is good; for shrimps, a shrimp-sauce; for salmon or any other kind of fish, Hollandaise, shrimp, pickle, or any fish sauce; for veal or lamb, a little thickened gravy. This is a very good way of using up remnants of any kind of fish or meat.

Vols-au-vent, with Strawberries, Raspberries, or Currants (English Lady).

Instead of sprinkling sugar over the tops of the vols-au-vent, glaze them on top with four ounces of sugar boiled to a candy, on which sprinkle some fine pieces of pounded loaf-sugar. Take about one-fourth of the ripest of the strawberries to be used, mash them fine, add a little more sugar to what remains of the sugar used for glazing, and after boiling it so that it is not quite ready to candy, add the mashed strawberries and their juice; skim the mixture, and as soon as it sticks to the fingers take it off the fire.

Just before serving, fill the vols-au-vent with the fresh strawberries, and cover them with the sirup, when it is cold. Proceed in the same manner with raspberries and red and white currants.

Vols-au-vent, with Strawberries, etc.

When the vols-au-vent are nearly or quite done, take them out of the oven, brush the tops over with the white of an egg, then sprinkle over this coarse sugar; return them to the oven to set the glaze. At the moment of serving, fill the vols-au-vent with fresh strawberries, raspberries, or any kind of preserved fruit. Place a few spoonfuls of whipped cream over the tops of the fruit.

Lemon Paste (for Tarts or Patties).

To one pound of lump-sugar add six eggs, leaving out the whites of two, the juice of four large lemons, with the grated rinds of three of them, and one quarter of a pound of very good butter. Put all into a stew-pan, and stir gently over a slow fire (or set the basin into a pan of boiling water) until it becomes thick and looks like honey; do not let it boil. Pour it into bottles or jars, and keep it in a cool place. It will keep three or four years.

Bake the crust for the tarts. Put in a little of the lemon paste while the crusts are hot. Then return them to the oven, to remain until the paste is nicely melted, when the tarts will be quite ready.

Mince-meat Patties.

Either make or purchase the patty-shells, and just before serving fill them with mince-meat (see page 239), and heat them for a few minutes in the oven.

Cream Rissoles (Rissoles À la CrÊme).

The cream rissoles are made as meat rissoles (see page 142), substituting the corn-starch pudding described for fried cream (see page 230) for the prepared meat; or the rissoles may be filled with apple-sauce, marmalade, or any of the stewed fruits or berries.

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