Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-12-21
= How to Make Puff Paste.

III SpIIc vi luC various cIuSaues
against pastry and pies they continue to
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 tel 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, on
sometimes that fairly reeks with lard.
Everybody has an ambition to make
good pastry. and every one who has
tried il acknowledges that it is one of
the most difficult things to do i'm all
cookery. But if the ingredients used
are good, and the rules for its prepara-
ton be carefully followed, there is no
reason why the pastry should not be
both delicate and digestible. A demon
stra;ion 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.
Puff paste is the richest of all pastry.
and it is used for pates, tarts, cheese
Straws. bow knots and other such fam
ciful and ornamental dishes. To make
it. the following ingredients. are used.
and always in the given proportions:
One pound of butter, one pound of
Hour. one-half a teaspoonful 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 it
well. divide into four equal parts, and
cool between two pans of ice in this
manner: Fill n 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 filled with chopped ice. Mix
the salt with the flour, take one part of
the butter and rub lightly into the flour.
using only the tips of the fingers: DO
not let the butter melt; il should
crumble into small bits and each BIT
should he well MIXED with flour; hut
there should be nothing like smooth
paSty look; mix stiff with the ice water.
putting in little at II time. and cutting
it in with rather broad-bladed knife.
Roll it 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, hut 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 gu 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 to
admit of any more Hour being mixed in
10 harden it. If the paste has Softencd
50 that il will adhere in spite of all et-
forts, lay it between the ice 10 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
just here about the utensils. The hoard
should be perfectly smooth and should
never be used for anything except for
bread and pastry. Nothing should be
allowed to adhere to its surface, and
the worker should always keep clean
cloth by her to wipe off the board as
often as it shall need it; always before
putting flour on wipe il clean from all
particles. This NAV seem unnecessary
labor TO some, and they may be in
cllned TO think it "more nice than
wise, but there is good reason for
this care. If the particles were not re-
moved before the flour was sprnkled
on TO the board, they would form with
the Hour little hard bulbs, which would
adhere TO the surface of the paste, and
when 1T 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 the
pieces of butter, roll it thin and Law il
in an unbroken line down the middle OF
the paste, fold the sides lightly over the
butter. allowing all the air that will be
caught 10 remain inside fold the end.
over lightly also, then fold together
and there viii be a rectangular figure
OF the paste with a number of thick.
nesses; pat with the roller into a fai
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 &c
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 20 ase.-B 0s-
ton Herald.