The confectioner's and pastry-cook's guide, or, Confectionery made easy ...

Roll out some puff paste as for patty cases, cut out as many pieces as you will require, with an oval scolloped cutter of any size you think proper, but those which are two or three inches long, are the neatest; cut the top of the paste with a sharp pointed knife, half through at each end of the oval, brush the tops over with egg, and strew some coarse grains of loaf sugar over the edge, place them on a tin, and bake in a moderate oven; roll out a piece of tart paste into a small long roll, twist it, and make it into a semicircle, to form a handle, place these on a tin and bake them. Take out the paste from the centre where you have marked it with the knife, and fill it with any sort of preserve or cream, a fine strawberry, cherry, grape, or gooseberry may be put on each, fix the handle over the centre with a little melted barley sugar, or with iceing, these form a very pretty dish for a second course. They may be made round instead of oval, and the edges of each may be strewed with blanched and chopped sweet almonds or pistachios, and the sides piped with any sort of jam or jelly. TURN-OVER PUFFS. Roll out some puff paste into a sheet a quarter of an inch thick, cut it out into pieces with a round scolloped cutter, or into square pieces with a knife; put a little jam in the centre of each, and fold or double them over, press down the thumbs a little on each side of the jam to close them, ice them as directed for Coventry puffs and bake them in a moderate oven, on a clean tin. CONFECTIONER'S FANCY PASTRY FOR FILLING BASKETS. Roll out puff paste thin, cut them out and form them as the last, only much smaller, and without putting any jam between, or make them in any other form, with tin cutters; place them on a clean tin, and bake them in a moderate oven, put some jam or jelly on the top of each, and arrange them tastefully in a sugar or other basket, or in a dish on a folded napkin. The whole of the small pastry and tartlets are for this purpose, and some of each should be used to make a variety, filling them with different sorts of marmalades and jams, so as there may not be a sameness. SHORT PASTE, OR TART PASTE. One pound of flour, eight ounces of butter. Rub the butter and flour together with your hands, till the butter is crumbled into pieces, mix it into a moderate stiff paste with cold water, and continue rubbing it with your hand on the board or slab until you have a smooth and supple piece of paste, having no degree of toughness, and shines on the surface. This paste will take considerably less water to mix it in summer than in winter. This is used for making raspberry tarts, and all covered tarts, and occasionally for large fruit and other pies. RASPBERRY TARTS. Make a long roll of tart paste, cut it off in small pieces, and roll them out in an oval form, about a quarter or the eighth of an inch in thickness, and let them be large enough to cover your pans; lay them in, and press the paste a little in the centre, with your thumb. Trim it off close to the edges, with the edge or back of a thin knife; notch them round. Thin some raspberry jam with a little water ; fill the tarts about three parts full with it, and bake them in a quick oven. MADE KA8Y. COVERED TARTS.