Make half a pound of puff paste (No. 1132), which roll to the thickness of a penny-piece, beat three quarters of a pound of finely sifted sugar in a basin with the whites of two eggs and a little lemon-juice; if too stiff add a little more white of egg, beat well, spread over the sheet of paste, and cut it into pieces three inches long and one broad, lay them upon your baking-sheet and bake in a slow oven.
There are likewise a great many small cakes which may be made from puff paste in all variety of forms, with different shaped cutters, and ornamented with different preserves, or meringued in any pattern or design you may fancy, but these must be left entirely to the taste.
No. 1190. A Flan of Puff Paste.
Make half a pound of puff paste, roll twelve times till nearly worn out, letting it remain some time on the slab before using; then have a plain round or oval flan mould,[14] butter the interior and line it with the paste about one third of an inch in thickness, place a sheet of white paper at the bottom and a band round the sides in the interior, which fill with bread-crumbs, bake in a warm oven rather crisp, take out, empty it of the bread-crumbs, and paper and turn it from your mould, sift sugar all over and glaze with the salamander, serve filled with any of the fruits dressed as directed for vol-au-vents. Should you have any trimmings of paste left from a previous day it may be used instead of making fresh.
No. 1191. Flan de Pommes à la Portugaise.
Make half a pound of flour into a fine paste (pâte fine, No. 1136), roll it into a sheet about eleven inches in diameter, work up the sides with your hands two inches in height, which crimp and ornament neatly with pâte d’office (No. 1137), or some of the same paste cut into small leaves, with which form a wreath or some other design, by wetting the flan round and sticking them upon it; then peel two dozen small apples (golden pippins), take the cores from fifteen of them with a long round cutter, make a syrup with half a pint of water, the juice of a lemon, and three quarters of a pound of sugar, reduce over a sharp fire till becoming thickish, put in the whole apples which stew gently till tender, then take them out, cut up the remainder, put them into the syrup and boil to a thickish marmalade; lay half the marmalade at the bottom of the flan, then the whole apples, and fill up with the marmalade not hiding the whole apples, put a band of buttered paper round and bake three quarters of an hour, when done take off the buttered paper and mask all over with apricot marmalade, serve either hot or cold.
No. 1192. Flan de Poires.
Make a crust the same as above, peel and cut in halves about two dozen very nice pears, put them into a preserving-pan with three quarters of a pound of sugar, the juice of two lemons, and the rind of one, free from pith, cut into small strips; stew till tender, when cold place them in your flan with the syrup over, bake three quarters of an hour with a band of paper round, finish and serve as in the last.
Cherries, greengages, and apricots may also be used for the above purposes by following the same methods, dressing the fruit as for vol-au-vents.