FoodNetArchive

Cookery and housekeeping

1882

Page 29 · 2 recipe records on this page

Presented as published in 1882. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
This is a very wholesome mode of cooking food ; it can be done over the fire and in front of the fire. Nothing is added to or taken away from meat or fish in the process, and with the addition of maitre dliotel butter a very appetising result is obtained. When broiling is done on the fire, a gridiron is used ; it must be heated before the chop or steak is put on it, and it must be close to the clear bright heat of the coals. The piece of meat must be turned with a pair of tongs (not a fork), so that no gravy may escape, and that neither side shall receive all the gra\;y. If the broiling is done in front of the fire, as is 66 MAKING PASTE AND PASTRY. best for fish, it is simply placed on a tin which is placed close in front of the fire, and care must be taken in both modes of broiling that the meat or fish is not too thick for the process, and that the fire is not so fierce as to char or burn. Fish must always be split open for broiling. Gridirons are sometimes made double, the chop can be turned on the fire without its being touched, and in the fluted gridiron there is a trough which preserves the gravy. Paste and Pastry. To make good pastry, delicacy of touch and mani- pulation, a light hand, a cool hand, good materials, a good oven, and in summer rough ice are required. The slab, the rollers, and all the implements must be faultlessly clean. The flour must be w^hat is called Hungarian or American flour, the butter must have no buttermilk or salt in it. Butter intended for pastry should be washed, so as to extract the liquids and salt, and then wiped dry. The pastry board must be kept sweet and clean, and never be used for anything but pastry. For the finer kinds of pastry the flour should be dried and sifted. There are several kinds of paste, that used for raised pies, that used for lining little tin moulds, common meatpie paste, puff paste. The two first kinds are not intended to 'rise' or be elastic, the two latter are to be elastic ; the paste used for raised pies is not eaten ; it is made of flour, butter or lard ; \ lb. butter to I lb. of flour ; a little salt and hot water, enough to melt the butter and work up the paste. MAKING PASTE AXD PASTRY. 67 To model a raised pie requires the skill and taste of a potter, and no printed description will convey the necessary instruction ; if it is worth doing, it is worth paying for a couple of lessons. The paste made for timbales is made with i lb. of flour, ^ lb. of butter, a little salt, the yolks of two eggs, and half a pint of water. The flour is heaped on the slab, and then a hollow is made in the centre, into which are stirred the yolks of two eggs, a pinch of salt, a glass of water. The mixture is stirred and worked with the fingers in the first place : it must be firm and smooth, yet soft. The butter is to be gradually worked in ; during this process the fingers must be frequently dipped in dry flour. When the paste has been thoroughly mixed, it is made into a ball and wrapped in a cloth till it is wanted. It is then rolled out very thin, and the moulds are lined with it and filled with flour (to be taken out) and baked. The shape of the moulds varies with fashion and fancy ; lozenge-shaped moulds which form a star when placed together look well, and little troughs are also a neat form for filling. Puff Paste