The spirit of cookery

The art of manipulating the flour of cereals with various admixtures for the production of several qualities of paste or dough is one of the most important achievements of human ingenuity. Each form of paste is typical — that is to say, different in essential qualities from every other quality. When two types are mixed — e.g., in the brioche, or in waffles, or in krapfen — a compound form is obtained, in which both qualities are expressed in a modified form. The progress from the simplest to the most complicated form is less evident upon the multiplication of materials than by the increase of the manual labour and the skill required in its application. Flour and Suet Paste for Meat Puddings and others is apparently easy to produce, but many cooks fail in appreciating the necessity of adapting details of proportion to the special object which the paste is to serve. As the paste is mostly boiled, a larger proportion of suet than demanded by the standard is not so injurious as an excess of flour. Two parts of flour and a little salt made into a rather stiff paste, and mixed with one part of finely-chopped suet, is a recipe easily remembered. When the suet is diminished to one-fourth of the weight of the flour, four eggs have to be added to every pound of flour, and as much milk instead of water as will make the flour into a thick paste. This latter dough can be baked as well as boiled. For suet puddings or dumplings others prescribe six parts, say ounces, of suet, six parts of flour, two parts of breadcrumb, and some salt ; to this a mixture of eggs with milk is to be added as the liquid— say two eggs upon 6 oz. of flour. Tie each dumpling in a separate cloth, which, while wet, has been dredged with flour, and boil during one hour. If a pudding of 8 oz. of flour and an equal weight of suet, 2 oz. of breadcrumb, with eggs and salt, be tied into one cloth, it requires two hours’ boiling. Dumplings may be boiled with beef or mutton without cloths, and do not absolutely require either milk or eggs in their composition ; they should be rolled in flour before being put into the pot. By the addition of 6 oz. of currants to the paste of 8 oz. of flour currant pudding is formed, and by dividing this quantity into convenient parts currant dumplings are produced. The addition of breadcrumb adds to the lightness of the dough, and is made to plain and many fine suet puddings. Scalded Water Paste is used for making the cases for cold raised pies. Some butter (one part) is incorporated with flour (six parts), and two eggs to each pound of flour ; this incorporation is effected with the blade of a knife. Boiling water is now added, and when all is incorporated, the hot dough is to be worked with the hands until it be homogeneous ; it must be so stiff as to stand up in a ridge when raised by compression with two fingers. According to some the butter may be fused on the hot water and together with this incorporated with the flour. Cold-Water or French Paste (Pâte à Dresser) is made VARIETIES OE ELOUR-PASTE