½ lb. butter.
¾ lb. flour.
8 eggs.
1 pint water.
Stir the butter into the water, which should be warm, set it on the
fire in a saucepan, and slowly bring to a boil, stirring it often. When
it boils, put in the flour, boil one minute, stirring all the while;
take from the fire, turn into a deep dish, and let it cool. Beat the
eggs very light, and whip into this cooled paste, first the yolks, then
the whites.
Drop, in great spoonfuls, upon buttered paper, taking care not to let
them touch or run into each other, and bake ten minutes.
_Cream for filling._
1 quart milk.
4 tablespoonfuls corn-starch.
2 eggs.
2 cups sugar.
Wet the corn-starch with enough milk to work it into a smooth paste.
Boil the rest of the milk. Beat the eggs, add the sugar and corn-starch
to these, and so soon as the milk boils pour in the mixture gradually,
stirring all the time until smooth and thick. Drop in a teaspoonful of
butter, and when this is mixed in, set the custard aside to cool. Then
add vanilla or lemon seasoning; pass a sharp knife lightly around the
puffs, split them, and fill with the mixture.
The best cream cakes I have ever tasted were made by this somewhat odd
receipt. Try it.