The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1935-10-17
Fly.Away Pastry

lightness and delicacy! "Vol-au-vent'
is the name the French give to one
of their glorified pastry-shells. 1t
means "fy away in the wind" and
really describes all the showcase
pastries Of the French, particularly
the patty cases, "rissoles" and
"bouchees''.
In speaking of pastry, never let it
be said that a French woman can do
anything that an American woman
can't. Yet they make this deliciously
light, airy pastry easily and deity,
! and it's a grace worth our cultivating.
The pastry shell is like the velvet
background in the jewelers. display.
It sets off and enhances the entree
Or dessert in which it figures. It may
be filled, of course, with either a hot
creamed mixture such as chicken a la
king, Or with fresh fruits and whip
ped cream.
Delicate little pastry cases for your
hot creamed mixture will give the
simplest, impromptu supper the air
Of a carefully-worked out bridge
luncheon. And the beauty of the puff
paste whicr is the foundation of these
airy pastries is that it may be stored
in your refrigerator well ahead of
time, and is actually lighter and
flakier after twelve to twenty-four
hours chilling in the refrigerator
than when it was feshly made. Patty
shells may be formed by baking on
inverted muffin tins. They are usu-
ally made ahead of time, and thor
oughly reheated in a moderate oven
before filling.
Puff paste is richer than pie dough,
the usual proportions being a pound
of flour to pound of shortening. The
method of putting ingredients togeth-
er is similar, except in the way the
shortening is introduced to puff
paste. Only two tablespoons of the
washed butter or shortening called
for is blended into the flour by cut
ting with knives or working with the
finger tips. The rest is placed in the
refrigerator and thoroughly chilled
while the flour mixture is being d.
vided and rolled out into two thin
sheets. The remaining shortening is
the taken from the refrigerator and
rolled out in similar sheet. It is
placed between the two sheets of
dough and rolled with a chilled roll
ing pin, allowing the fat to break
through. When this paste has been
rolled once or twice more, it is put
in the refrigerator for about Is min
utes, then removed and rolled out
again, then returned to the refriger-
ator, until the rolling-and-chilling
process has been repeated about four
times. The paste is then ready to be
made into shells or a vol-au-vent, or
stored in the refrigerator for later
use.
Chilling, Of couse, plays such an
important part in pastry-making, not
only puff-paste, but flaky pie-crust,
that housewives purchasing an cleo
trio 70 frigerator more and more often
consider the space needed for "refrig-
rator baking" as well as food storage
space required; and the leading re-
frigerator manufacture provides a
china pastry set in super deluxe re-
frigerator models, including a deep
covered bowl and a hollow rolling pin
which may be filled with ice water.
Pie Pastry
~ cups flour
IA cup cold water
II cup shortening
" teaspoon salt
Sift flour, measure, and sift with
salt. Cut in shortening with two
spatulas until mixture is coarse and
granular. Work water in lightly with
a spatula until little balls Of dough
just hang together in one large ball.
Turn " the pastry onto lightly flour
ed board. Roll in sheet 1-s inch thick.
Shape pastry to fit pie pan. Roll re-
mainder TO rtop crust.
Hot Water Pie Crust
~ cups flour
" cup shortening
" teaspoon salt
Ia cup boiling water
" teaspoon baking powder
Pour boiling water over shortening
and beat until creamy. Sift in the