Modern cookery, in all its branches

Sift two pounds and a quarter of fine dry flour, and break into it one pound of butter, work them together with the fingers until they resemble fine crumbs of bread, then add a small teaspoonful of salt, and make them into a firm paste, with the yolks of four eggs, well beaten, mixed with half a pint of cold water, and strained ; or for a somewhat richer crust of the same kind, take two pounds of flour, one of butter, the yolks of four eggs, half an ounce of salt, and less than the half pint of water, and work the whole well until the paste is perfectly smooth. Flour, 2| lbs. ; butter, 1 lb. ; salt, 1 small teaspoonful; yolks of eggs, 4 ; water, \ pint. Or : flour, 2 lbs. ; butter, 1 lb. ; yolks of eggs, 4 ; water, less than \ pint. FLEAD CRUST. Flead is the provincial name for the leaf, or inside fat of a pig, which makes excellent crust when fresh, much finer, indeed, than [CEIAP. XVIII, after it is melted into lard. Clear it quite from skin, and slice it very thin into the flour, add sufficient salt to give flavour to the paste, and make the whole up smooth and firm with cold water ; lay it on a clean dresser, and beat it forcibly with a rolling-pin until the flead is blended perfectly with the flour. It may then be made into cakes with a paste -cutter, or used for pies, round the edges of which a knife should be passed, as the crust rises better when cut than if merely rolled to the proper size. With the addition of a small quantity of butter, which may either be broken into the flour before the flead is mixed with it, or rolled into the paste after it is beaten, it will be found equal to fine puff crust, with the advantage of being more easy of digestion. Quite common crust : flour, 1£ lb. ; flead, 8 oz. ; salt, 1 small teaspoonful. Good common crust : flour, 1 lb. ; flead, 6 oz. ; butter, 2 oz, Rich crust : flead, \ lb. ; butter, 2 oz. ; flour, 1 lb. The crust is very good when made without any butter. COMMON SUET-CRUST FOR PIES. In many families this is preferred both for pies and tarts, to crust made with butter, as being much more wholesome; but it should never be served unless especially ordered, as it is to some persons peculiarly distasteful. Chop the suet extremely small, and add from six to eight ounces of it to a pound of flour, with a few grains of salt ; mix these with cold water into a firm paste, and work it very smooth. Some cooks beat it with a paste-roller, until the suet is perfectly blended with flour ; but the crust is lighter without this. In exceedingly sultry weather the suet, not being firm enough to chop, may be sliced as thin as possible, and well beaten into the paste after it is worked up. Flour, 2 lbs. ; beef or veal kidney-suet, 12 to 16 oz. ; salt (for fruit-pies), f teaspoonful, for meat- pies, 1 teaspoonful. VERY SUPERIOR SUET- CRUST.