Mrs. Lincoln's Boston cook book

Vol-au-vent, — This is made from the lightest form of puff paste, cut to any size and shape desired, a large oval being generally preferred. Mark the outline with an oval mould or pan, and cut quickly with a knife dipped in hot water. Put on two or three rims, wetting the edge of each with white of egg. Make an oval hoop of stiff paper, two inches high, and slightly larger than the vol-au-vent, and place around it to prevent scorching. Bake a large volau-vent nearly an hour. Cakes a la JPolonaise, — Roll puff paste very thin, cut into pieces three inches square, wet the centre, turn each corner over, press the point down in the centre, and put a verj^ small round of paste on the centre. Bake, and when cool put dots of jelly on each corner. Fig. 42. Bow-Knots. BoiD-Knots. — Cut thin puff paste into half-inch strips, and shape them on the baking-pan into the form of a double bow-knot. When baked, put jelly on each loop of the bow. Rissoles, — Roll the scraps of puff paste thin, and cut into rounds. Put a spoonful of whatever material is to be used in the centre of half of the number, wet the edges, and cover with the remaining rounds, first cutting a cross in the middle, or stamping out a small piece with a vegetable cutter or pastry tube. Any kind of cold meat may be cut fine, seasoned to taste, moistened with a white sauce, and used in the rissoles. Or they may be filled with stewed and sweetened fruit, or mince meat prepared The Boston Cook Book. as for pies. They may be cut into larger rounds, the filling placed on one half, and the edges folded together like turnovers. Bake in a hot oven. Plaits, — Roll very cold puff paste thin, and cut into half-inch strips. Braid them together, and bake quickl3\ Cheese Straws. — Roll scraps of puff paste thin, sprinkle with grated cheese, and cayenne pepper if you like, fold, roll out, and sprinkle again, and repeat the four or five inches long and less than a quarter of an inch wide. Bake, and serve piled cob-house fashion. Sometimes, when the paste is very hard, they are cut as narrow as possible, laid on the pan in groups of five or six, with one straw laid over the middle to represent a bundle of straws, and baked in that form. For Pies, roll the puff paste out a quarter of an inch thick, then roll up, and cut from the end of the roll. Turn each piece on the side, so that the folds show in rings, and pat out flat, then roll to fit the plate. Keep the paste in a circular form, and roll evenl}^ in every direction. Make slightly larger than the plate, as the paste shrinks when taken from the board, and should be fulled in rather than stretched to the required size. After a little practice it is just as easy to judge of the amount of paste required for one crust, and roll it in this way to fit the plate, as to roll so large a quantity that the edges have to be trimmed off and mixed with the remainder of the paste. Roll some of the paste, and cut into strips three quarters of an inch wide ; wet the under crust and place the rim on the edge. Use one rim for pies which are to be covered, and two, if you Fig. 43. Cheese Straws.