The Preparation and Cooking of Various Pastry Crusts used in Cookery
[2390—VOL-AU-VENT CRUST]
Prepare the puff-paste as directed under No. [2366]. Make the layer of paste of an even thickness of four-fifths inch; set [705] ]thereon an overturned plate or a saucepan-lid, the size of which should be that intended for the Vol-au-vent, and cut the paste obliquely, following round the edges of the lid or plate with a small knife. Turn the layer of paste over, and set it on a slightly moistened round baking sheet; groove it all round; [gild] it, and describe a circle on top of it with the point of a knife, one and one-quarter inches away from the edge, to form the cover of the Vol-au-vent. Streak this cover criss-cross-fashion; also streak the body of the Vol-au-vent with the point of a small knife, and bake it in a rather hot oven.
Upon withdrawing the Vol-au-vent from the oven, remove its cover, and clear it of the soft crumb which will be found on its inside.
[2391—BOUCHEE OR SMALL-PATTY CRUSTS]
Bouchées are really small Vol-au-vents. Roll out the paste, making it a good one-third inch thick. Cut this layer with a grooved round cutter three inches in diameter; set the roundels of stamped-out paste on a moistened tray; [gild], and make a circular incision in each of them, one-half inch from their edges, either with the point of a small knife or with an even, round cutter dipped in hot water.
Bake in a hot oven, and clear the insides of the bouchées of their crumb on taking them out of the oven. “Mignonnes Bouchées,” which are used as a garnish, are stamped out with a round cutter two inches in diameter, and are slightly thicker than ordinary bouchées.
[2392—SMALL HOT PATTIES]
Roll out the puff-paste to a thickness of one-sixth inch, and stamp it out with an even round cutter three inches in diameter. With the trimmings resulting from this operation, rolled somewhat more thinly, make an equal quantity of roundels, and lay them on a tray. Slightly moisten the edges of these roundels with a brush; garnish their centres with some forcemeat, rolled to the size of a hazel-nut; cover the forcemeat with the roundels stamped out from the first; press upon these with the back of a round cutter two inches in diameter; [gild] them, and bake them in a hot oven for twelve or fourteen minutes.
[2393—CROÛTES ET CROUSTADES]
For tartlet crusts, which are put to various uses, take either even or grooved, large or small moulds, subject to the requirements.
Roll out a piece of short paste to a thickness of one-fifth inch; stamp it out with a grooved round cutter of a size in proportion to the moulds used; line the buttered moulds with these roundels [706] ]of paste; pierce the paste on the bottom of each with the point of a small knife; line with good-quality paper; fill up with lentils, split peas, or rice, and bake in a moderate oven. When the paste is baked, withdraw the dry vegetable used and the paper, and place the crusts in the drying-box, that they may be quite dry; or [gild] them inside, and set them in the front of the oven for a few minutes.
[2394—TIMBALE CRUST]
Butter a Charlotte-mould, and decorate its sides with some sort of design made from noodle-paste trimmings to which a little powdered sugar has been added. Shape a piece of short paste (of a size in proportion to the mould) like a ball; roll it out to a disc; sprinkle it with flour, and fold it in two. Draw the ends gently towards the centre, so as to form a kind of skullcap, and take care to not crease the paste. Make this skullcap of an even thickness of one-third inch, and place it in the mould.
Press it well upon the bottom and sides of the mould, that it may acquire the shape of the latter; line the mould inside with good buttered paper; fill up with lentils or split peas, letting them project in a dome above the edges of the paste, and cover with a round sheet of paper.
Prepare a round layer of paste, one-fifth inch thick, a little larger diametrally than the timbale one. Slightly moisten the inside edges of the timbale; cover it with the prepared disc of paste, and seal it well down to the edges of the timbale, pressing it between the fingers in such wise as to form a crest reaching one-half inch beyond the brim of the mould all round.
Pinch this crest with paste-pincers inside and out.
With a round or oval grooved fancy-cutter stamp out some imitation leaves from a very thin layer of paste, and imitate the veins of the leaves with the back of a knife; or stamp out some triangles of paste; shape them like leaves, and set these (slightly overlapping one another) upon the dome of the timbale in superposed rows.
Finish with three roundels of paste, stamped out with a grooved round cutter of a different size from the first, and make a hole in the centre of each roundel with a round, even fancy-cutter. [Gild] and bake in a moderate oven. When the outside of the timbale is well browned, detach and remove the cover formed by the leaves. Withdraw the split peas and the paper; [gild] the timbale inside, and leave it to dry in the front of the oven or in the drying-box.
[707]
][2395—FLAWN CRUST]
With short or any other kind of paste prepare a layer one-sixth inch thick, the diameter of which should be one-fourth as long again as that of the flawn-ring used. Raise this layer, and place it upon the previously-buttered flawn-ring, pressing it with the fingers, that it may assume the shape of the mould. Then roll the pin across the ring, in order that the overlapping paste may be cut away; press the thickness of paste that has been formed between the fingers in such a way as to make it project above the edges of the flawn-ring, and form a regular crest. Pinch this crest with the pastry pincers, and set the flawn-ring on a small round baking sheet.
Prick it with the point of a small knife; line its bottom and sides with slightly-buttered, good paper; fill the ring with dry lentils or split peas, and bake in a moderately hot oven for about twenty-five minutes.
Then remove the lentils and paper, as also the ring, and return the flawn to the oven for a few minutes to brown, if it is not already sufficiently coloured.
If the paste be required very dry, place the flawn in the drying-box for a little while, or [gild] it inside, and set it in the front of the oven for a few minutes.
[2396—THE LINING AND COVERING OF RAISED AND DRESSED PIES]
The moulds for Raised Pies are oval or round. If they are round, make a layer of patty paste, one-half inch thick, in proportion to the size of the mould.
Sprinkle this paste with flour, fold it in two, and shape it like a skullcap, after the manner described under “Timbale Crust.” It is only necessary to press this skullcap of paste into the buttered mould in order to give it the shape of the latter. If the mould is oval, proceed in the same way, giving the skullcap an oval shape.
When the raised pie is filled, first cover the garnish with a somewhat thin, round, or oval layer of paste, in accordance with the shape of the mould, and seal it well down upon the moistened edges. Then cut away the superfluous paste of the crest, so as to make the latter even and neat, and pinch it outside and in. Raised pies are covered in two ways—either with a layer of puff-paste, or with leaves of paste stamped out with a round cutter or a knife, the veins being imitated with the back of a knife.
In the first case, prepare a layer of puff-paste one-third inch thick, equal in size to the inside of the patty. Drop this layer [708] ]of paste upon the cover of the pie, after having slightly moistened it; [gild] and streak it, and make a slit in the top for the escape of steam.
In the second case, prepare the paste leaves as directed above, and lay them on the pie (slightly overlapping one another) in superposed rows, starting from the bottom. On the top of the pie set three or four indented roundels of paste, graduated in size, and stuck one upon the other, each roundel having a hole in its centre for the escape of steam.
[Gild] and set the pie in the oven.
The baking of raised pies made with raw forcemeat is effected in a moderately-heated oven. Bear in mind that the larger the pie is, the more moderate should be the oven.