French dishes for American tables

284. Puff Paste. Put a pound of flour on a table, make a hole in the center of the flour, in which by degrees pour half a pint of cold water. The water should always be added in very small quantities at a time, and thoroughly worked into the flour until perfectly absorbed before adding more. When all the water has been thoroughly mixed with the flour, work your paste out with the hands until round. Take a pound of butter, which has been on the ice, and which you have carefully washed. If very hard, knead it a little with your hands, then place it in the middle of your paste, flatten it, fold your paste over the butter so that it forms a square, and put it on the ice ten minutes. Then with a rolling-pin roll out your paste (having previously sprinkled the table with flour) about two feet long, then fold it one third of its length, roll it once with the rolling-pin, then take the remainder of the paste and fold it over the two other layers, and roll the paste two or three times, fold the paste again as before, and put it on the ice fifteen minutes. Then proceed as before, and put it again on the ice. Repeat the same operation once again. 285. Pâte Brisee. Put a pound of flour on a table, make a hollow in the middle of the flour, in which put eight ounces of butter and not quite half a pint of water. Work this paste well, so as to be quite smooth. 286. Bouchées de Salpicon. Take half a pound of puff paste, and, after having given it six turns, roll it out half an inch thick, cut it out in ten rounds, with a muffin-ring or a mold for the purpose. Mark lightly in the center of each, with the point of a knife, a very small round. Brush them (with a camel's-hair brush) in beaten egg, put them on a pan, send them to a very hot oven, and watch them carefully so that they do not color too much on the outside before the inside is done. This paste should rise at least two inches. When the bouchees are thoroughly done inside, and colored bright yellow on the outside, take them out of the oven, remove the small rounds in the center which you have marked out, and also enough paste from the inside to make space for the following mixture : Put half a pint of Spanish sauce (Art. 80), with a glass of sherry, in a saucepan on the fire, boil it ten minutes, then add eight mushrooms, four chickens' livers, which you have previously blanched in boiling water ten minutes, the breast of a cold chicken, some cold smoked tongue, and two truffles, all cut in small pieces. When hot, fill your bouchees, place the small covers on top of each, and serve. Instead of Spanish sauce, Allemande sauce (Art. 81) is often preferred. You may also add four ounces of chicken farce (Art. 11), which form into small balls, and poach in boiling water. Instead of chicken, you may substitute sweetbreads ; or you may fill the bouchees with oysters, to which you have added an Allemande sauce and some mushrooms cut in small pieces. 287. Croiistades de Salpicon. Take some