The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-12-21
EoH TO Make Puff Paste.

EoW TO Make Puff Paste.
In spite of the various crusadei
against pastry and pies they continue te
have an important place in the Ameri
can cuisine. When pastry is well made
it is much less likely to be harmful
than when it is carelessly prepared
with inferior materials. To tell the
truth, the majority of cooks do not
know how to prepare pastry, and they
either send to the table tough. leathery
mass that is entirely indigestible, OF
sometimes that fairly reeks with lard.
Everybody has an ambition to make
good pastry, and every one who has
tried it acknowledges that it is one OF
the most difficult things to do in ali
cookery. But if the ingredients used
are good, and the rules for its prepare
ton be carefully followed, there is nc
reason why the pastry should not be
both delicate and digestible. A demon.
stration lesson on pastry at the cooking
school always brings out an unusually
large number of ladies. Mrs. Lincoln
gave this demonstration on Thursday
last, with the best possible result.
l. v.
and it is used for pates, tarts. cheese
straws, bow knots and other such fan
cifui and ornamental dishes To make
it, the following ingredients are used,
and always in the. given proportions:
One pound of butter, one pound OF
flour, one-half a teaspoonfCl of salt and
about one cup of ice water The
butter must be of the finest quality
of dairy butter, as poor butter
will make villainous pastry. Wash il
well. divide into four equal parts, and
cool between two pans of ice in this
manner: Fill square tin pan with
bits of chopped ice; on this place an
other pan, napkin lined, into which
place the pieces of butter; cover with
another napkin and on this set another
pan also filed with chopped ice. Mix
the salt with the -four, take one part Of
the butter and rub lightly into the flour,
using only the tips of the fingers; dc
not let the butter melt: it should
crumble into small bits and each bit
should be well mixed with -four; but
there should be nothing ike smooth
pasty look: mix stiff with the ice water,
putting in little at time. and cutting
it in with rather broad-bladed knife
Roll il out one-half an inch thick-and
in the rolling lies the success of good
pastry; do not roll back and forth with
heavy strokes, but roll from the person
with long. light strokes, quickly re-
peated. 1t is the heavy rolling back
and forth, pulling the dough in two
directions, that gives the tough,
leathery crust. The finenesS. lightness
and delicacy of pastry depends almost
entirely upon the qu!ckness and deli
cacy OF manipulation. Before rolling
the paste the board should be lightly
Toured, just enough to prevent the
paste from adhering, but not enough &c
admit of any more -four being mixed in
to harden it. If the paste has softened
SO that ii viii adhere in spite of all eff
forts, Law it between the ice TO harden. |
Do this always in paste-making of any
kind, when the paste is softening; |
the softening indicates that the
butter is melting, and that is
disastrous to the result. A word 1
just here about the utensils. The board !
should be perfectly smooth and should /
never be used for anything except for I
bread and pastry. Nothing should be 1
allowed to adhere to its surface, and !
the worker should always keep a clean
cloth by her TO wipe off the board as
often as it shall need it always before 4
putting -four on wipe ii clean from all +
particles. This may seem unnecessary i
labor TO some. and they may be in 1
elined 10 think it "more nice than
wise, but there is a good reason for
this care. If the particles Were not re.
moved before the -four was sprinkled /
on 10 the board, they would form with
the flour little hard bulbs, which would
adhere to the surface of the paste, and 4
when it was baked there would be these
Jumps unmixed with the rest of the
paste all through, spelling both the
looks and the taste. The rolling pin
should be OF glass, and the same care
should be exercised to keep it also free
from adhering particles. When the
paste is cold and hard. roll until it Is
half an inch thick. Take one OF tie
pieces of butter, roll it thin and Law il
Ia an unbroken line down the middle of
the paste, fold the sides lightly over the
butter. allowing all the air that will be
caught TO remain inside fold the ends
over lightly also, then fold together,
and there will be q rectangular figure
OF the paste with number of thick
nesses pat with the roller into a fat
cake, giving short, quick blows; roll
out again, In the same way as before,
taking great care not to break any OF
the AIR bubbles: repeat this process
with all the other pieces of butter, cool
ing the dough as often as it seems to
soften after the butter is all in repeat
the folding. patting and rolling from
three to five times, then put between
the ice again until ready to ase.-Bos.
t0z Herald.