Household cookery

Method. — Sieve flour into a bowl, add strained lemon-juice and cold water ; mix to a stiff paste with a knife. Knead till quite smooth and elastic, then let it stand in a cold place for 10 minutes to shrink. Roll out on a floured board. Squeeze butter in a cloth, make into a flat cake and place it on one half of the pastry. Lightly wet edges of pastry and fold over ; press edges firmly. Roll out, fold in three ; turn rough edges towards you, roll out again. Continue doing this until the pastry has been rolled and folded in all seven times. Allow it to stand lo minutes in a cold place after each folding. Sprinkle with lemon-juice between the last three rollings. Let it stand, if possible, some time before using. For patties and cases roll out about \ inch thick. Cut into rounds with a cutter dipped in flour or hot water. With a cutter two sizes smaller cut halfway through the pastry. Place patties on a tin, brush the tops lightly over with beaten egg. Bake in a hot oven. Hot water Pastry I lb. flour. } lb. lard. \ pint water. i tea-spoonful salt. Method, — Mix flour and salt in a bowl. Put water and fat in a pan, boil, pour into the flour, mix with a wooden spoon, then knead well for a few minutes. Cover with a damp cloth, keep in a warm place till wanted for use. Genoese Pastry 3 eggs. 4 oz. sugar. 3 oz. flour. 2 oz. butter. Method, — Put sugar in a bowl, break in eggs, whisk until frothy and thick as cream. Sieve flour, and stir carefully to eggs and sugar ; lastly stir in butter, oiled. Pour into a tin lined with buttered paper or into small fancy tins. Bake in a rather quick oven about 15 minutes. This pastry is used for sandwiches, fancy cakes, etc. Fruit Pie I lb. fruit. 2 or 3 table-spoonfuls cold water. Sugar to taste. Short pastry (p. 48). Method. — Wash the fruit, half fill the pie-dish. Add sugar, then rest of fruit, and water. Roll pastry out a little larger than dish, cut narrow strips and place them round edges, first wetting them. Cover with rest of pastry, cut and trim edges. Bake in a hot oven 30 minutes, or until nicely browned. Dust over with fine sugar. Beefsteak Pie I lb. beef-steak. i table-spoonful flour. I tea- spoonful salt. } tea-spoonful pepper. Cold water. Flaky pastry (p. 49). Method. — Cut meat into thin slices, cut fat into small pieces. Mix flour, salt, and pepper on a plate ; dip the pieces of meat into this seasoned flour, put a piece of fat on the end of each, and roll up. Put the meat in a pie-dish and cover with cold w^ater. Roll out the pastry a little larger than piedish; wet edges of dish, and cover with narrow strips of pastry. Place rest of pastry on top. Cut and trim the edges of pastry, and make a hole in the top to let out the steam. Bake hour in a hot oven. A little more gravy or stock may be added after it is cooked. A few oysters or one sheep's kidney is a great improvement. Rabbit Pie I rabbit. I table-spoonful flour. \ lb. fat bacon. i tea-spoonful salt. I or 2 hard-boiled eggs. \ tea-spoonful pepper. \ tea spoonful sweet herbs. Rough puff pastry (p: 49).