Put one pound of flour upon your pastry slab, make a hole in the centre
in which put the yolk of one egg and the juice of a lemon, with a pinch
of salt, mix it with cold water (iced in summer, if convenient) into a
softish flexible paste, with the right hand dry it off a little with
flour until you have well cleared the paste from the slab, but do not
work it more than you can possibly help, let remain two minutes upon the
slab; then have a pound of fresh butter from which you have squeezed all
the buttermilk in a cloth, bringing it to the same consistency as the
paste, upon which place it; press it out with the hand, then fold the
paste in three so as to hide the butter, and roll it with the
rolling-pin to the thickness of a quarter of an inch, thus making it
about two feet in length, fold over one third, over which again pass the
rolling-pin; then fold over the other third, thus forming a square,
place it with the ends top and bottom before you, shaking a little flour
both under and over, and repeat the rolls and turns twice again as
before; flour a baking-sheet, upon which lay it, upon ice or in some
cool place (but in summer it would be almost impossible to make this
paste well without ice) for half an hour, then roll twice more, turning
it as before, place again upon the ice a quarter of an hour, give it two
more rolls, making seven in all, and it is ready for use when required,
rolling it whatever thickness (according to what you intend making)
directed in the following receipts. When I state that upwards of a
hundred different kinds of cakes may be made from this paste, I am sure
it will be quite sufficient to urge upon every cook the necessity of
paying every attention to its fabrication, as it will repay for the
study and trouble.