DESSERTS:
PASTRY, JELLIES, ICES, PRESERVES, ETC.
1076. Feuilletage, or Puff Paste.
—Have ready one pound of flour, one pound of fresh butter, one pint of ice-water, and a saltspoonful of salt. If the butter be salted instead of fresh, no salt is necessary, but wash the butter well before using it. Put the flour on the table, make a hollow space in the centre, then put in it one ounce of the butter, adding the pint of ice-water and the salt, and mix the whole well together, incorporating it gradually. Put it aside in a cool place for five minutes. Have ready the remaining fifteen ounces of butter, which must be very firm; sprinkle the space of a square foot of the table with a very little flour, place the dough on it, then lengthen and widen with a wooden roller to the thickness of half an inch, and lay the fifteen ounces of butter in one lump in the centre. Fold over the four edges so as to enclose it, then flatten again lightly with the roller until it forms a piece two inches thick, and then put it away to cool for ten minutes. Roll it again lengthwise, fold it in four, and let it rest for another five minutes; then repeat the same twice more, rolling it each time in a contrary direction. After five minutes it will be ready for use. This feuilletage, or puff paste, if put away carefully in a cool place, will keep for three days, and can be used for the following purposes: vol-au-vents of chickens, oysters, clams, shrimps, lobsters, codfish, crabs, and crawfish; also for making chicken patties, bouchées à la reine, all kinds of tarts, allumettes, mille-feuilles, chaussons, turnovers, petits pâtés à la religieuse, etc., etc.
1077. Paste for Pies.
—Sift on a table one pound of flour; make a hollow space in the centre, pour into it a pint of cold water, two ounces of butter, and half a saltspoonful of salt; then, with the hand, knead the ingredients well together for two minutes, and gradually and slowly incorporate the flour with the rest for four minutes. Lay the paste on a dish, and put it to rest in a cool place for three minutes. Have ready six ounces of well-washed butter in one lump, as for feuilletage ([No. 1076]); return the paste to the table, flatten it slightly, then put the lump of butter in the centre, fold over the edges, so as to enclose the butter, then roll it out lengthwise with the pastry roller, and refold the paste into three folds. Let it rest again in a cool place for three minutes, then roll it again, fold it as before, and set it in the ice-box for five minutes; the paste will now be ready to use, and by keeping it in the ice-box it will remain in good condition for three days.
1078. Pâte-à-Foucer, Foundation Paste.
—Sift one pound of flour on the table, make a hollow in the centre, and pour into it half a pound of well-washed butter, a saltspoonful of salt, and a gill of cold water. Knead well the salt, butter, and water, using the hand, for two minutes, then incorporate the flour gradually, which will take three minutes more, and knead sharply with the hands. Detach it from the table, and roll it into a ball, then press it again on the table in different directions for two minutes; remove again from the table. Flour the table slightly, lay the paste over, and with the fingers of the right hand press down the paste in the centre, and with the left bring up the edges all around to the centre, repeat this three times, and when finished the paste must have its original shape; lay it on a dish, cover with a towel, and set it in a cool place to rest for twenty minutes.
1079. How to Make a Pastry-bag, for General Use.
—Cut a piece of white duck-cloth as follows: twenty-four inches wide at the top, twenty inches deep, and three inches at the lower end. Fold,and sew up lengthwise, so as to make a perfect cornet-bag. Hem the top and the bottom, and the pastry bag will then be ready for use.