Luncheons

Put the flour on the slab, chop into it, using a knife, one sixth of the butter, then moisten it with the water into which has been stirred the beaten white of one egg. The exact amount of water cannot be given, as that depends upon the dryness of the flour, but care must be taken to have the paste of the right consistency.. It should be neither too hard to roll easily, nor so soft that it will stick, but have a flexible, dry consistency. Work it for a few minutes with the hands to a perfect smoothness. Roll it to a rectangular shape (a little longer than broad), and about a half inch in thickness. The paste can be handled with impunity at this stage, and care should be taken to roll it to an even thickness and to have the edges straight and the corners square. When just right, fold it over, wrap it in a napkin, put it in a pan, and place the pan upon ice. Work the butter with a spoon or a pat until it is smooth and flexible, and press out as much of the water it contains as possible, as this wets the paste and may make it sticky. Mold the butter into a smooth, flattened square cake and set it on ice. When the paste and the butter are perfectly cold lay the paste on the slab, place the cake of butter in the center, and fold the paste over it, first on the sides, and then the ends. The paste should be long enough to fold the end pieces entirely across the cake of butter. Roll it out into a strip three times longer than broad. Rolling is made easier by lightly pounding as well as rolling the paste. Keep the edges even, and finish by having the corners square and the whole of uniform thickness. Fold the strip twice, making three even layers, and place it on the ice again, wrapped in a napkin, to prevent it from gathering moisture. When it is entirely cold, roll it out again and fold it in the same way. Strike the edges to keep the folds from separating, and turn the paste so as to roll it in the opposite direction from the previous time. Endeavor to keep the edges straight and corners square, so the layers will be even. After each folding and rolling, it is said to have one "turn," and the pastry is not finished until it has had six to eight turns. The rolling becomes more difficult as the layers get thinner, and great care must be used not to let the butter break through. This will happen if it is not kept very cold ; so, unless the rolling is done in a very cold room, it is safer to put it on the ice after each turn. If the butter shows signs of coming through, cover the spot with flour, and set it away at once. The paste should also be very cold when cut into shapes, so that the edges will not stick together ; and again, it should be very cold before being put into the oven. The oven should be hot. A simple test of the heat is to place a piece of writing-paper in the oven for ten minutes. If at the end of that time the paper is a light yellow, the heat is right for vol-au-vent and large pieces. If it is a lightbrown color, it is about the heat used for baking bread, and is right for patty-shells. After a little practice the making of puft'-paste becomes an easy matter. The rolling need not be done all in one daJ^ for if the paste is kept dry and cold, and not allowed to form a crust, it will keep for several days. So many high-class dishes can be made of puff-paste, it is desirable to accomplish the art of making it. JAM TAET