No. 145.
PUFF PUDDING.
Mix 2 cups of flour with 2/3 of a cup of butter, and 2 cups of sugar. Dissolve 3 teaspoonfuls of good baking powder in 1 cup of milk and 1 teaspoonful of essence of lemon and half a nutmeg. Take 4 eggs—keep the whites of 2 for frosting—and beat the others thoroughly; then mix all together, and bake in a quick oven. When done frost the top with the reserved whites, well beaten, with a small quantity of powdered sugar.
No. 146.
PUFF PASTE.
Take 1 pound of best quality of flour, sifted, 1 pound of good, firm, sweet butter or lard, or equal parts of each; divide the shortening into quarters; take one quarter and chop it fine, and mix it with the flour with a knife, as the warmth from the hands will make the butter soft; then with a small quantity of cold water make into a stiff dough; flour the board, turn out the paste, dredge with flour, and roll thin; then cut another quarter of the shortening into thin slices, and lay on the paste, dredge with flour, fold over the sides, forming a square; then roll again and add another quarter of the shortening, and so continue till all the shortening is rolled in. Handle as little as possible. When done, roll about half inch thick, cut into quarters, place on a plate, and set aside in a cool place for 2 hours. Take only as much as you want for one crust, dredge the board, and roll out, making it thinner at the middle than on the edges, which should be one quarter of an inch thick; grease the pans, lay on the paste, pressing it lightly into form, and trim the edge with a knife; put in the filling, cover with another paste as before, trim and ornament the edges, if desired, and bake in a quick oven.
No. 147.
FILLET OF CHICKENS.
Take the breasts of 4 chickens (tender). This is sufficient for twelve persons. Take 4 fillets out of each chicken; then cut them into a shape something like the breastbone of a chicken; take the skin off, flatten them with a mallet; butter a skillet; lay them close together in it; then pour ½ pint of milk and ½ pint of stock over them; put a weight over them and let them simmer till tender; after they are done, slice some mushrooms and truffles and put one of each, forming a row, on each breast; round them on a platter, then take the essence and put ½ pint of cream in it, making a rich sauce; ¾ of a pint of spinach; take all the stems off and parboil the leaves; take them out of the hot water and put them into cold water; then squeeze them dry out of this and chop very fine; 1 tablespoonful each of flour and butter and mix them up into the chopped spinach; 1 teacup of stock is poured over this and thoroughly mixed in it; pepper, salt, grated nutmeg; then put it on the fire, stewing slowly for 20 minutes; boil hard three eggs; cut in slices; put spinach in the center of the dish, chicken around it; pour sauce all round; put sliced egg around the spinach; serve hot.
No. 148.
JURY PIE.
Steam and boil some mealy potatoes; then mash them with some butter or cream; season to taste and place a layer at the bottom of a pie dish; upon this put a layer of fine-chopped cold meat or any kind of fish well seasoned; then another layer of potatoes and more chopped meat, alternately, till the dish is filled; smooth down the top; strew breadcrumbs upon it and bake till well browned. This will make a nice little dish. Chopped pickles may be added. Should you use fish instead of meat, first beat it up in raw egg. It will taste better. Dressed spinach, tomatoes, asparagus tops may be used in place of meat, but there should be more potatoes than anything else in the pie.
No. 149.
POTATO PIE.
Four large potatoes boiled and mashed with butter and cream; ½ pound of butcher's meat; ¼ pound of ham or bacon cut small or chopped; hard boiled eggs; season it and cover with a light crust; bake ¾ of an hour. Uncooked potatoes may be used in slices; put first a layer of them, then a layer of meat or fish; add butter, and season with onion, catsup or pickles; pour over two beaten eggs; lay on upper crust; bake 1 hour.