FoodNet

Puddings and pastry à la mode

1889

Page 27

Presented as published in 1889. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
Take two pints of flour and stir in half a pint of double cream and a pinch of salt ; when mixed roll out the paste and leave for half an hour ; add half a pound of butter ; roll five times and cut out into fancy shapes ; glaze with beaten yolk of egg and bake. Feuilletage, or French Puff- Paste. Take one pound of good fresh butter, and the same of sifted Vienna flour ; break some bits of butter (very small) into the flour, put in the centre half a teaspoonful of salt, and pour on just enough water to dissolve it ; then take the yolks of two eggs and add a little water to them, and moisten the flour very gradually, and make it into a very smooth paste, not very stiff. Take the remainder of the butter, squeeze out any moisture there may A LA MODE. 63 be, and form it into a ball (if it gets very soft put it on ice). Next roll the crust out square and of sufficient size to enclose the butter, flatten this a little in the centre, and fold the crust well over, and roll it out thin as lightly as possible ; this is one turn ; then fold it in three and give it another turn, and set it aside to cool for a few minutes ; give it two more turns in the same way, rolling it each time very lightly, but of equal thickness, and to its full length ; let it again be put aside to get cold, and after it has been twice rolled and folded in three, give it half a turn by folding it once only, and it will be ready for baking. Flaky Crust. Put one pound of flour in a basin, and mix into it a teaspoonful of baking powder ; whip the whites of two eggs to a stiff froth, and add them to the flour with a gill of water, and work it into a stiff paste ; flour the board, put the paste on it, and roll it out to a very thin sheet. Divide half a pound of butter into three portions ; take one part and spread it all over the paste with a knife, sprinkle a little flour over and fold the paste in three ; roll it out and spread another portion of the butter over it ; fold the paste again, and add the remaining portion of the butter ; fold the paste again and roll it out to the thickness required ; it should be baked in a quick oven for about fifteen minutes. Light Crust. Make a soft paste with one pound of flour, water, and a pinch of salt ; leave for half an hour. 64 PUDDINGS AND PAS TP V roll it out, spread some fresh butter over it, fold and roll it out again ; repeat this three or four times, cut it out in fancy shapes, and bake in a quick oven. Puff-Paste. Dry and sift a pound of flour and put it on a marble slab (if there is one) ; make a hole in the centre, and put into it half a teaspoonful of salt and not quite half a pint of water ; mix this in with a knife till it is a clear smooth paste ; work it lightly with the hands till it ceases to adhere to the board ; let it remain to cool for two minutes, then flatten the paste till it is an inch thick ; have ready three- quarters of a pound of butter free from salt and moisture, and lay the butter on in the centre, and fold over the four sides of the paste so as to form a square and completely hide the butter ; let this cool for a few minutes, then dredge the slab or board and the paste with flour, and roll the paste out till it is three feet in length ; take care the butter does not break through the flour ; fold over a third of the length from one end, and lay the othe