PASTRY
Pastry cannot be easily excluded from the menu of the New Englander. Who
can dream of a Thanksgiving dinner without a pie! The last decade has
done much to remove pies from the _daily_ bill of fare, and in their
place are found delicate puddings and seasonable fruits.
If pastry is to be served, have it of the best,—light, flaky, and
tender.
To pastry belongs, 1st, Puff Paste; 2d, Plain Paste.
Puff paste, which to many seems so difficult of preparation, is rarely
attempted by any except professionals. As a matter of fact, one who has
never handled a rolling-pin is less liable to fail, under the guidance
of a good teacher, than an old cook, who finds it difficult to overcome
the bad habit of using too much force in rolling. It is necessary to
work rapidly and with a light touch. A cold room is of great advantage.
For making pastry, pastry flour and the best shortenings, thoroughly
chilled, are essential. Its lightness depends on the amount of air
enclosed and expansion of that air in baking. The flakiness depends upon
kind and amount of shortening used. Lard makes more tender crust than
butter, but lacks flavor which butter gives. Puff paste is usually
shortened with butter, though some chefs prefer beef suet. Eggs and ice
were formerly used, but are not essentials.
Butter should be washed if pastry is to be of the best, so as to remove
salt and buttermilk, thus making it of a waxy consistency, easy to
handle.
[Illustration:
UTENSILS AND MATERIALS FOR THE MAKING OF PUFF PASTE.—_Page 461_.
]
[Illustration:
CALVÉ TARTS.—_Page 479._
]
[Illustration:
PATTIES GARNISHED WITH PASTRY RINGS AND PARSLEY.—_Page 462._
]
[Illustration:
ENGLISH MEAT PIE.—_Page 228._
]
=Rules for Washing Butter.= Scald and chill an earthen bowl. Heat palms
of hands in hot water, and chill in cold water. By following these
directions, butter will not adhere to bowl nor hands. Wash butter in
bowl by squeezing with hands until soft and waxy, placing bowl under a
cold-water faucet and allowing water to run. A small amount of butter
may be washed by using a wooden spoon in place of the hands.
For rolling paste, use a smooth wooden board, and wooden rolling-pin
with handles.
Puff paste should be used for vol-au-vents, patties, rissoles, bouchées,
cheese straws, tarts, etc. It may be used for rims and upper crusts of
pies, but never for lower crusts. Plain paste may be used where pastry
is needed, except for vol-au-vents and patties.
Puff Paste
1 pound butter
1 pound pastry flour
Cold water
Wash the butter, pat and fold until no water flies. Reserve two
tablespoons of butter, and shape remainder into a circular piece
one-half inch thick, and put on floured board. Work two tablespoons of
butter into flour with the tips of fingers of the right hand. Moisten to
a dough with cold water, turn on slightly floured board, and knead one
minute. Cover with towel, and let stand five minutes.
Pat and roll one-fourth inch thick, keeping paste a little wider than
long, and corners square. If this cannot be accomplished with
rolling-pin, draw into shape with fingers. Place butter on centre of
lower half of paste. Cover butter by folding upper half of paste over
it. Press edges firmly, to enclose as much air as possible.
Fold right side of paste over enclosed butter, the left side under
enclosed butter. Turn paste half-way round, cover, and let stand five
minutes. Pat, and roll one-fourth inch thick, having paste longer than
wide, lifting often to prevent paste from sticking, and dredging board
slightly with flour when necessary. Fold from ends towards centre,
making three layers. Cover, and let stand five minutes. Repeat twice,
turning paste half-way round each time before rolling. After fourth
rolling, fold from ends to centre, and double, making four layers. Put
in cold place to chill; if outside temperature is not sufficiently cold,
fold paste in a towel, put in a dripping-pan, and place between dripping
pans of crushed ice. If paste is to be kept for several days, wrap in a
napkin, put in tin pail and cover tightly, then put in cold place; if in
ice box, do not allow pail to come in direct contact with ice.
To Bake Puff Paste
Baking of puff paste requires as much care and judgment as making. After
shaping, chill thoroughly before baking. Puff paste requires hot oven,
greatest heat coming from the bottom, that the paste may properly rise.
While rising it is often necessary to decrease the heat by lifting
covers or opening the check to stove. Turn frequently, that it may rise
evenly. When it has risen its full height, slip a pan under the sheet on
which paste is baking to prevent burning on the bottom. Puff paste
should be baked on a tin sheet covered with a double thickness of brown
paper, or dripping-pan may be used, lined with brown paper. The
temperature for baking of patties should be about the same as for raised
biscuit; vol-au-vents require less heat, and are covered for first
half-hour to prevent scorching on top.
Patty Shells
Roll puff paste one-quarter inch thick, shape with a patty cutter, first
dipped in flour; remove centres from one-half the rounds with smaller
cutter. Brush over with cold water the larger pieces near the edge, and
fit on rings, pressing lightly. Place in towel between pans of crushed
ice, and chill until paste is stiff; if cold weather, chill out of
doors. Place on iron or tin sheet covered with brown paper, and bake
twenty-five minutes in hot oven. The shells should rise their full
height and begin to brown in twelve to fifteen minutes; continue
browning, and finish baking in twenty-five minutes. Pieces cut from
centre of rings of patties may be baked and used for patty covers, or
put together, rolled, and cut for unders. Trimmings from puff paste
should be carefully laid on top of each other, patted, and rolled out.
Vol-au-vents
Roll puff paste one-third inch thick, mark an oval on paste with cutter
or mould, and cut out with sharp knife, first dipped in flour. Brush
over near the edge with cold water, put on a rim three-fourths inch
wide, press lightly, chill, and bake. Vol-au-vents require for baking
forty-five minutes to one hour. During the first half-hour they should
be covered, watched carefully, and frequently turned. The paste cut from
centre of rim should be rolled one-quarter inch thick, shaped same size
as before rolling, chilled, baked, and used for cover to the
Vol-au-vent.
Quick Puff Paste
1 cup bread flour
1 tablespoon lard
Cold water
⅞ cup butter
Work lard into flour, first using knife then tips of fingers. Moisten to
a dough with cold water, pat, and roll out same as Puff Paste. Dot paste
with small pieces of butter, using one-third the quantity. Dredge with
flour, fold from ends toward centre, then double, making four layers.
Pat, and roll out. Repeat until butter is used. Roll, shape, chill, and
bake in a hot oven.
Plain Paste
1½ cups flour
¼ cup lard
¼ cup butter
½ teaspoon salt.
Cold water
Wash butter, pat, and form in circular piece. Add salt to flour, and
work in lard with tips of fingers or case knife. Moisten to dough with
cold water; ice-water is not an essential, but is desirable in summer.
Toss on board dredged sparingly with flour, pat, and roll out; fold in
butter as for puff paste, pat, and roll out. Fold so as to make three
layers, turn half-way round, pat, and roll out; repeat. The pastry may
be used at once; if not, fold in cheese-cloth, put in covered tin, and
keep in cold place, but never in direct contact with ice. Plain paste
requires a moderate oven. This is superior paste and quickly made.
Chopped Paste
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons lard
⅔ cup butter
½ teaspoon salt
Cold water
Wash butter. Mix salt with flour, put in chopping tray, add lard and
butter, and chop until well mixed. Moisten to a dough with cold water.
Toss on floured cloth (Magic Cover), pat, and roll out. Fold so as to
make three layers, turn half-way round, pat, and roll out; repeat.
Should the butter be too hard, it will not mix readily with the flour,
in which case the result will be a tough crust. Omit lard, and use all
butter, if preferred.
Quick Paste
1½ cups flour
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ cup cottolene or cocoanut butter
Cold water
Mix salt with flour, cut in shortening with knife. Moisten to dough with
cold water. Toss on floured board, pat, roll out, and roll up like a
jelly roll. Use one-third cup of shortening if a richer paste is
desired.
Paste with Lard
1½ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup lard
Cold water
Mix salt with flour. Reserve one and one-fourth tablespoons lard, work
in remainder to flour, using tips of fingers or a case knife. Moisten to
a dough with water. Toss on a floured board, pat, and roll out. Spread
with one tablespoon reserved lard, dredge with flour, roll up like a
jelly roll, pat, and roll out; again roll up. Cut from the end of roll a
piece large enough to line a pie plate. Pat and roll out, keeping the
paste as circular in form as possible. With care and experience there
need be no trimmings. Worked-over pastry is never as satisfactory. The
remaining one-fourth tablespoon lard is used to dot over upper crust of
pie just before sending to oven; this gives the pie a flaky appearance.
Ice-water has a similar effect. If milk is brushed over the pie it has a
glazed appearance. This quantity of paste will make one pie with two
crusts and a few puffs, or two pies with one crust where the rim is
built up and fluted.
Entire Wheat Paste
1 cup fine Entire Wheat Flour
½ cup pastry flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons lard
½ cup butter
Cold water
Make same as Plain Paste. Roll to one-fourth inch in thickness, cut in
finger-shaped pieces, bake, cool, brush over with slightly beaten white
one egg diluted with one teaspoon cold water, and sprinkle with chopped
nut meat seasoned with salt. Return to oven to slightly brown nut meats.
Serve with salad course.