Mother's Cook Book: Containing Recipes for Every Day in the Week, Including ..

VANILLA SAUCE. The whites of two eggs and the yolk of one, half a oupfol of- powdered sugar, one teaspoonful of vanilla, three tablespoonfuls of milk. Beat the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth, next beat in the sugar, and then the yolk of the egg and the seasoning. Serve immediately. This sauce is for light puddings. Mother's Cook Book. PASTRY. VERY GOOD PUFF-PASTE. To every pound of flour allow one pound of butter, and not quite one-half pint of water. Carefully weigh the flour and butter, and have the exact proportion; squeeze the butter well, to extract the water from it, and afterwards wring it in a clean cloth, that no moisture may remain. Sift the flour; see that it is perfectly dry, and proceed in the following manner to make the paste, using a very clean paste-board and rolling-pin. Supposing the quantity to be one pound of flour, work the whole into a smooth paste, with not quite one-half pint of water, using a knife to mix it with; the proportion of this latter ingredient must be regulated by the discretion of the cook; if too much be added, the paste, when baked, will be tough. Roll it out until it is of an equal thickness of about an inch; break four ounces of the butter into small pieces; place these on the paste, sift over it a little flour, fold it over, roll out again, and put another four ounces of butter. Repeat the rolling and buttering until the paste has been rolled out four times, or equal quantities of flour and butter have been used. Do not omit, every time the paste is rolled out, to dredge a little flour over that and the rolling-pin, to prevent both from sticking. Handle the paste as lightly as possible, and do not press heavily npon it with the rolling-pin. The next thing to be considered is the oven, as the baking of pastry requires particular attention. Do not put it into the oven until it is sufficiently hot to raise the paste; for the best- 172 Mother's Cook Book. prepared paste, if not properly baked, will be good for nothing. Brushing the paste as often as rolled oat, and the pieces of butter placed thereon, with the white of an egg, assists it to rise in leaves or flakes. As this is the great beauty of puff-paste, it is as well to try this method. PLAINER PASTE. One pound of flour, a little more for rolling-pin and board, and half a pound of butter and half a pound of lard. Cut the butter and lard through the flour (which should be sifted), and mix with sufficient ice-water to roll easily. Avoid kneading it, and use the hands as little as possible in * mixing. SUET CRUST, FOR PIES OR PUDDINGS. To every pound of flour allow five or six ounces of beef suet, one-half pint of water. Free the suet from skin and shreds; chop it extremely fine, and rub it well into the flour; work the whole to a smooth paste with the above proportion of water; roll it out, and it is ready for use. This crust is quite rich enough for ordinary purposes; but when a better one is desired, use from one-half to threequarters pound of suet to every pound of flour. Some cooks, for rich crusts, pound the suet in a mortar, with a small quantity of butter. It should then be laid on the paste in small pieces, the same as for puff-crust, and will be found exceedingly nice for hot tarts. Five ounces of suet to every pound of flour will make a very good crust; and even one-quarter pound will answer very well for children, or where the crust is wanted very plain. TO ICE PASTRY. To ice pastry, which is the usual method adopted for fruit tarts and sweet dishes of pastry, put the white of an egg Mother's Cook Book. 178