Alexis Soyer's Part 10: Pastry and Pies
Welcome to FabulousFusionFood's Alexis Soyer's Part 10 (Pastry and Pies) Page — Here you will find the full text from the tenth section: Pastry and Pies; of Alexis Soyer's A Shilling Cookery Book for the People As well as the full text this page also provides links out to the overall index of the book and links to modern redactions of each and every recipe (where practicable). This site builds a complete library of Eliza Acton recipes, allowing the modern cook to make them at home today. Enjoy...
ON PASTRY.
One of the oldest and most current modes of cooking, either by mixing oil or butter with the flour, sweetened, scented, or flavoured, according to the fancy of the cook, is pastry. The Romans had their peculiar cakes of paste, the Egyptians had theirs; in fact, all countries have, during the periods of the greatest prosperity, endeavoured to add to the number of their luxuries new modes of making paste. With none of these have we, at the present moment, anything to do; our task is to show how paste can be made to suit everybody.
My excellent Eloise, I think you are wrong, for once, in proposing that I should give various receipts for sweet pastry. I know you possess a sweet tooth, but let those who require first-class sweet dishes, purchase our " Modern Housewife;" no doubt their pocket is equal to their taste; at any rate, the few I now give will, if properly made by a person of taste, lead them to do others that might vie with the most expensive dishes.
The following receipts will be continually referred to, therefore they ought to be made with care.
315a. Puff Paste.—Put one pound of flour upon your pastry slab, make a hole in the centre, in which put a teaspoonful of salt, mix it with cold water into a sottish 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 flat with the hand, then fold over the edges of the paste so as to hide the butter, and roll it with the rolling-pin to the thickness of half 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, if handy, or in some cool place, 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, as directed in the following receipts. You must continually add enough flour while rolling to prevent your paste sticking to the slab.
When I state that upwards of a hundred different kinds of cakes may be made from this paste and the following, I am sure it will be quite sufficient to urge upon every cook the necessity of paying every attention to their fabrication, as it will well repay for the study and trouble. One fourth of this quantity may be made.
316. Half-puff Paste.—Put on the dresser or table one pound of flour, half a teaspoonful of salt, two ounces of butter, mix all together, then add half a pint of water, or little more; form a softish paste, do not work it too much with the hand, or it will make it hard and tough; throw some more flour lightly over and under, roll it out with a rolling-pin half an inch thick, about a foot long; then have half a pound of fresh butter equally as stiff as the paste, break it into small pieces, and put it on the> paste; throw a little more flour on it, and fold it over in two folds, throw some more flour on the slab, roll it out three or four times, letting it rest between each two rolls, and it is then ready for use.
It can be made with lard instead of butter.
The yolk of an egg, or the juice of half a lemon, added to the water, makes it lighter.
316a. Half batter and half lard may be used, or if butter is too dear, use all lard; if neither, mix well with the flour two ounces of dripping, no salt, lay it on the board, and mix half a pint of water, till a softish paste; roll it out, then chop a quarter of a pound of good beef suet very fine, mix with a quarter of a pound of good dripping, free from water or gravy, roll out the paste, and add the dripping and suet as preceding receipt.
317. Plainer Paste, for Meat Pies.—Put into a pan half a pound of flour, quarter of a pound of dripping, half a teaspoonful of salt, rub all well together for about three minutes, add by degrees half a pint of water, mix the paste well; it requires to be rather hard; throw some flour on the board, roll, and use it instead of puff paste; three, or even two ounces, of dripping will be enough where economy is required, or many children to feed.
Where the cottager has a small garden, in which he can grow a few herbs, which I have already recommended, then introduce in the paste a little chopped parsley or eschalot, a very small piece of winter savory or thyme, or bayleaf chopped fine; these herbs cost little, and are at once relishing, refreshing, and wholesome.
By the same rule the same paste will do for fruit pies, mixed with a little grated lemon or orange-peel, with the addition of a teaspoonful of sugar.
318. Short Paste.—Put on a slab or board a pound of flour, two ounces of pounded sugar, or whitey-brown, six ounces of butter, one egg, half a teaspoonful of salt, half a pint of water, mix sugar and butter well together, add it with the water by degrees to the flour, and form a nice paste, but firmer than puff-paste; use where described.
In a farm-house, for a treat, they use cream to make this paste.
319. Pudding Paste.— 1st Class Paste. Put on a slab, table, board, or basin, one pound of flour, half a pound of beef or mutton suet, chopped rather fine—the first is preferable—form a well with your hand in the centre of the flour, add the suet, a teaspoonful of salt, half of pepper; moisten all with water, working the flour in by degrees, till it forms a stiff paste; work it well for two minutes, throw a little flour on the slab, with the paste on it; let it remain five minutes, then roll it out to any thickness you like. This will be referred to very often, therefore pay particular attention to it, and give it an important place in the book. For savoury pudding, I sometimes vary the flavour, by adding a little chopped parsley, or a little onion, or thyme, or mushrooms in it.
2nd Class Paste. Proceed the same way, putting only six ounces of suet.
3rd Class Paste. The same, with four ounces.
4th Class Paste. The same, with four ounces of dripping.
Lamb, veal, and pork fat, may be used; but as they do not chop so floury, the paste is heavier. But they can be used for baked puddings, which I have introduced at page 102 in that series.
320. Fruit Tart, French fashion.—This requires a mould or a tin pan; it must be well wiped with a cloth, butter it, then take the remains of half puff paste, and roll it well so as to deaden it, then roll it out a size larger than your mould, and about a quarter of an inch thick; place your mould on a baking-tin, put the paste carefully in the mould and shape it well, to obtain all the form of the mould, without making a hole in the paste; put a piece of paper at the bottom, fill with fruit to the top, and bake a nice colour; It will take about half an hour baking with any fruit in season; put plenty of sugar over, according to the acidity of the fruit.
321. Another.—If you have no mould, make a quarter of a pound of paste (No. 318), roll it round or oval to your fancy, a quarter of an inch thick, wet the edge all round about half an inch, raise that part, and pinch it with your thumb and fingers, making a border all round, put on a baking-sheet, fill it with one row of fruit if large, two rows if small; remove the stones, and sift sugar over according to the acidity of the fruit; it will take less time, too, than if in a mould: You see what variation can be made with very little trouble or expense.
322. Small Pastry.—Make a quarter of a pound of half puff paste (No. 318), roll it to a thickness of a quarter of an inch, cut five or six pieces out with the rim of a tumbler; put each piece in a separate tin, shape it well in forming a nice thin rim round the edge with your finger and thumb, three parts fill with either jam, stewed fruit, sweetmeats, custard, pastry, or cream, bake in a very hot oven for twenty minutes; dish up in pyramids, and serve. See Index.
323. Little Fruit Rissolettes.—I also make with the trimmings of puff paste the following little cakes: if you have about a quarter of a pound of puff paste left, roll it out very thin, about the thickness of half a crown, put half a spoonful of any marmalade on it, about one inch and a half distance from each other, wet lightly round them with a paste-brush, and place a similar piece of paste over all, take a cutter of the size of a crown piece, and press round the part where the marmalade or jam is with the thick part of the cutter, to make the paste stick, then cut them out with one a size or two larger, lay them on a baking-tin, egg over, place in a nice hot oven for twenty minutes, then sugar over with finely sifted sugar, so as to make it quite white, then put back into the oven to glaze, and serve.
323A. Plain Puff Paste Cake.—Make half a pound as No. 315a; when done, roll it about a quarter of an inch thick, cut as many pieces as you can with the cutter, or with the edge of n glass, wet a baking sheet, place them on, egg well over, sift some sugar on each, bake from ten to twelve minutes, and serve.
324. Orange and Almond Cakes.—Proceed as above, but lay orange marmalade all over a quarter of an inch thick, four ounces of almonds, cut into fillets, mixed with two ounces of sugar, and the white of two egg added to it; lay the almonds all over the marmalade, bake in a moderate oven, and cut in a diamond shape, dish up on a napkin in crown or pyramid; they ought to be of a nice transparent colour. Apple or quince marmalade may be used instead of orange.
325. Preserve Cake.—This style of cake is exceedingly simple, and admits of great variation. You must make half a pound of puff paste (No. 315A), take one third of it and roll it out several times so as to deaden it, then mould it round with your hands to the shape of a ball, roll it out flat to the thickness of a crown, lay it on a baking-sheet, put on it marmalade, or any other preserve, a quarter of an inch thick, reserving about one inch all round of paste to fix the cover on, then roll out the remainder of the paste to the same shape, it will of course be thicker; wet the edges of the bottom, and lay the cover on it; press it so that it sticks, cut neatly round the edges, and make a mark with the back of a knife about a quarter of an inch deep and half an inch apart all round; egg over, and lightly mark any fanciful design with the point of a knife on the cover; bake in a very hot oven for twenty minutes; when nearly done, sprinkle some sugar over, frost it with a hot shovel, and serve cold.
326. Small Cream Cake—The former one must be made in proportion to the dish you intend to serve on, but the following is simple, and looks as well: Prepare the paste as before, but roll the bottom piece about a foot square, put it on a baking-sheet, cover with half an inch of cream (see Index), leaving one inch round the edge; roll the cover the same size, wet the edges, place it over, trim them, mark it down every three inches, and then crosswise every inch; bake in hot oven, sugar over, and salamander. When nearly cold, cut it where you have marked it; thus, a piece twelve inches square will give you twenty-four pieces; dish as a crown or pyramid. Twelve pieces make a nice dish for a party. They may be made of any puff paste which is left, but will not be so light as if made on purpose; can be cut to any fanciful shape you please. Any jam may be substituted for cream.
327. Fruit Crusts.—Cut a French penny roll lengthwise in four slices, put the yolk of one egg with four spoonfuls of milk, mix it in a plate, dip quickly each piece in it, and saute" in 3 quarter of a pound of butter which you have previously melted in a frying pan; leave them on the fire until they have obtained a nice gold colour on both sides; put three spoonfuls of orange marmalade in a stewpan, with two glasses of sherry or brandy and place on the fire; when on the point of boiling, pour over the bread, which you have previously put in a plate, and serve very hot. Any preserve may be used, also any white wine; and should you have no French rolls, any fancy roll will do, or even the crumb of common bread. Any kinds of jam may be used.
Nursery Dumplings.
Having, the other evening, been invited to a children's party at Farmer Laurence's, near Oswestry, and the supper being composed, for the most part, of dumplings of various sorts, so as to please the children, I made the following experiment, which proved quite successful.
328.—Greengages being very plentiful, I went and gathered some, and made the following fruit dumplings. I made half a pound of paste (No. 319), rolled it out rather thin, then cut a piece round with the rim of a tumbler, moistened it, and placed a gage in the centre, adding a half teaspoonful of sugar, inclosed all in the paste, thoroughly closing the rim, then placed on the baking-sheet, the smooth part uppermost, and baked them from ten to twelve minutes, serving them up with sugar. They made a beautiful dish.
Gooseberries, rhubarb; cherries, and mulberries, can all be done this way. All kinds of plums can be done the same.
329. Plain Cheese Cake.—Put half a pint of milk curds, well drained, in a basin, add to it an ounce and a half of butter, stir perfectly smooth, put in three teaspoonfuls of sugar, one ounce of washed currants, one egg, half a pint of milk, and any flavour you like, as lemon, orange, &c. &c. Prepare your paste as No. 322, fill up the tins with this, bake the same, and serve.
NATIONAL FRENCH CAKE OR GALETTE.
Dearest Eloise,—There is one little and perhaps insignificant French cake, which I feel certain would soon become a favourite in the cottage, more particularly amongst its juvenile inhabitants. It is the famed galette, the melodramatic food of the gamins, galopins, mechanics, and semi-artists of France. Show me one of the above-named citizens who has not tasted this irresistible and famed cake, after having digested the best and most sanguinary melodrama, from the, "Courier of Lyons" to the "Corsican Brothers," and from the "Pilules, du Diable" to the "Seven Wonders of the World," after having paid their duty to the elegance of the performance and performers, and entirely forgetting, as usual, the author, who is supposed to live in his tomb, whilst the actors and artists are dead in reality. Setting that on one side, observe that the last Seventh Wonder is over, the red-blue-green fire no longer required; the scene-shifter bolts and gets the first cut, smoking hot; then, also, rush the audience, full of melodrama and anything but food, to the galette-shop, where the Père Coupe-toujours (Father Cut-and-come-again) is in full activity, taking the money first, and delivering the galette afterwards. Six feet wide by ten long is the galette-shop, and very clean, and above one hundred feet of galette is sold in less than one hour, at a sou or two the cut.
Such is, even in summer, the refreshment of the admirers of the Boulevard du Crime.
Like everything which has its origin with the million, it soon aims to an aristocracy of feeling, and I was not a little surprised, the last time I was in Paris, to see a fashionable crowd round an elegant shop, close to the Gymnase Theatre; on inquiring of a venerable citizen, who was anxiously waiting, with ten sous in his hand, the motive of such a crowd, he informed me that he was waiting his turn to buy ten sous worth of galette du Gymnase, which he told me was the most celebrated in Paris. He passed; and then ladies, beautifully dressed, took their turn; in fact, the crowd brought to my recollection the description of the scene of the bread market at Athens (described in Soyer's "Pantropheon"), where the ladies of fashion or the petites maitresses of ancient Greece used to go to select the delicious puff cake, called placites, or the sweet melitutes, whose exquisite and perfumed flour was delicately kneaded with the precious honey of Mount Hymettus. At all events, I was determined not only to taste, but to procure the receipt if I possibly could; and as you know, Eloise, I seldom fail, when determined, the following is a copy.
330. Aristocratic Galette.—Work lightly in a basin or on a table one pound of flour with three quarters of a pound of fresh butter; add two eggs, a gill of cream, and a little milk; if too stiff, then add a quarter of a teaspoonful of Bait, two of sugar; work all well, to form a good stiff paste, throw some flour on the table, mould the paste round, roll it three quarters of an inch thick, and quite round, egg over, score it with a knife in diamonds, or any other shape; bake for about half an hour in a rather hot oven, sprinkle sugar over and serve. A pound of either puff, No. 315a, or half puff paste, No. 316, will make a very light galette; sugar over, and bake as above.
331. Cottage Galette.—Put one pound of flour, a teaspoonful of salt, six ounces of butter; moisten with milk, and bake as above, adding a teaspoonful of sugar.
332. Poor Man's Galette.—One pound of flour, a quarter of a pound of lard, moisten with milk, or water; proceed as above, moisten with a little water on the top, and dredge sugar over. If no lard, use dripping.
INTRODUCTION TO PIES, BOTH SWEET AND SAVOURY.
No matter how ridiculous it may appear to Mrs. Smith, or Mrs. Brown, or Mrs. Any-body-else, do not omit to give room to the following remarks on pies. Never mind how simple these remarks may seem to you, the million will understand them well. For example, where is the little boy or girl in Great Britain who has not eaten pies sweet and savoury? From childhood we eat pies—from girlhood to boyhood we eat pies—from middle age to old age we eat pies—in fact, pies in England may be considered as one of our best companions du voyage through life. It is we who leave them behind, not they who leave us; for our children and grandchildren will be as fond of pie as we have been; therefore it is needful that we should learn how to make them, and make them well! Believe me, I am not jesting, but if all the spoilt pies made in London on one single Sunday were to be exhibited in a row beside a railway line, it would take above an hour by special train to pass in review these culinary victims; therefore see the importance of the subject. If we could only rescue to proper standing half a mile of pies and pie-crust, I think we should deserve a piece of plate, or at least a piece of one of our disciple's pies.
How to Make a Pie to Perfection.—When your paste u carefully made (No. 316), or short paste (No. 318), which requires no more time than doing badly, and your pies and tarts properly full—(this is the last and most important process in pie and tart making)—throw a little flour on your paste-board, take about a quarter of a pound of your paste, which roll with your hand, say an inch in circumference; moisten the rim of your pie-dish, and fix the paste equally on it with your thumb. When you have rolled your paste for the covering of an equal thickness, in proportion to the contents of your pie (half an inch is about correct for the above description), fold the cover in two, lay on the half of your pie, turn the other half over, press slightly with your thumb round the rim, cut neatly the rim of your paste, form rather a thick edge, which mark with a knife about every quarter of an inch apart; mark, holding your knife in a slanting direction, which gives it a neat appearance; make two small holes on the top; egg over with a paste-brush; if no egg, use a drop of milk or water; the remaining paste may be shaped to fanciful designs to ornament the top. For meat pies, notice, that if your paste is either too thick or too thin, the covering too narrow or too short, and requires pulling one way or the other, to make it fit, your pie is sure to be imperfect, the covering no longer protecting the contents. It is the same with meat; and if the paste happens to be rather rich, it pulls the rim of the pie to the dish, soddens the paste, makes it heavy, and, therefore, indigestible as well as unpalateable. A little practice and common sense will remedy all those little housewifery tribulations, and probably improve the appearance of this series of dishes.
333. Plain Apple and other Tart.—Peel and cut about two pounds of apples, sharp ones being the best for the purpose, cut each in four pieces, removing the cores, then cut each quarter in two or three pieces, according to size; put half of them in a pie-dish, slightly press them, so that they lay compact; put over two ounces of brown sugar, then put in the remaining apples, then add another two ounces of sugar, making the apples form a kind of dome, the centre being two inches higher than tho sides; add a small wineglassful of water, cover the top over with paste No. 318; bake in a moderate oven from half to three-quarters of an hour.
All kinds of apples will, of course, make tarts, but if the apples be sweetish or too ripe, you need not put in so much sugar, but add double the quantity of water; in this case the addition of a little juice of a lemon is an improvement to vary the flavour; use also a little grated or chopped lemon or orange-peel, or a quarter of a teaspoonful of cinnamon, or mixed spice, or four cloves,
Green rhubarb and greengages will require a little more sugar, adding nothing else but the fruit; proceed as for apple-tart; pink rhubarb does not require pealing; ripe currants, raspberries, and cherries, also as above; plum, damson, and mulberries the same.
Pastry and Pies.
One of the oldest and most current modes of cooking, either by mixing oil or butter with the flour, sweetened, scented, or flavoured, according to the fancy of the cook, is pastry. The Romans had their peculiar cakes of paste, the Egyptians had theirs; in fact, all countries have, during the periods of the greatest prosperity, endeavoured to add to the number of their luxuries new modes of making paste. With none of these have we, at the present moment, anything to do; our task is to show how paste can be made to suit everybody.
My excellent Eloise, I think you are wrong, for once, in proposing that I should give various receipts for sweet pastry. I know you possess a sweet tooth, but let those who require first-class sweet dishes, purchase our " Modern Housewife;" no doubt their pocket is equal to their taste; at any rate, the few I now give will, if properly made by a person of taste, lead them to do others that might vie with the most expensive dishes.
The following receipts will be continually referred to, therefore they ought to be made with care.
315a. Puff Paste.—Put one pound of flour upon your pastry slab, make a hole in the centre, in which put a teaspoonful of salt, mix it with cold water into a sottish 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 flat with the hand, then fold over the edges of the paste so as to hide the butter, and roll it with the rolling-pin to the thickness of half 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, if handy, or in some cool place, 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, as directed in the following receipts. You must continually add enough flour while rolling to prevent your paste sticking to the slab.
When I state that upwards of a hundred different kinds of cakes may be made from this paste and the following, I am sure it will be quite sufficient to urge upon every cook the necessity of paying every attention to their fabrication, as it will well repay for the study and trouble. One fourth of this quantity may be made.
316. Half-puff Paste.—Put on the dresser or table one pound of flour, half a teaspoonful of salt, two ounces of butter, mix all together, then add half a pint of water, or little more; form a softish paste, do not work it too much with the hand, or it will make it hard and tough; throw some more flour lightly over and under, roll it out with a rolling-pin half an inch thick, about a foot long; then have half a pound of fresh butter equally as stiff as the paste, break it into small pieces, and put it on the> paste; throw a little more flour on it, and fold it over in two folds, throw some more flour on the slab, roll it out three or four times, letting it rest between each two rolls, and it is then ready for use.
It can be made with lard instead of butter.
The yolk of an egg, or the juice of half a lemon, added to the water, makes it lighter.
316a. Half batter and half lard may be used, or if butter is too dear, use all lard; if neither, mix well with the flour two ounces of dripping, no salt, lay it on the board, and mix half a pint of water, till a softish paste; roll it out, then chop a quarter of a pound of good beef suet very fine, mix with a quarter of a pound of good dripping, free from water or gravy, roll out the paste, and add the dripping and suet as preceding receipt.
317. Plainer Paste, for Meat Pies.—Put into a pan half a pound of flour, quarter of a pound of dripping, half a teaspoonful of salt, rub all well together for about three minutes, add by degrees half a pint of water, mix the paste well; it requires to be rather hard; throw some flour on the board, roll, and use it instead of puff paste; three, or even two ounces, of dripping will be enough where economy is required, or many children to feed.
Where the cottager has a small garden, in which he can grow a few herbs, which I have already recommended, then introduce in the paste a little chopped parsley or eschalot, a very small piece of winter savory or thyme, or bayleaf chopped fine; these herbs cost little, and are at once relishing, refreshing, and wholesome.
By the same rule the same paste will do for fruit pies, mixed with a little grated lemon or orange-peel, with the addition of a teaspoonful of sugar.
318. Short Paste.—Put on a slab or board a pound of flour, two ounces of pounded sugar, or whitey-brown, six ounces of butter, one egg, half a teaspoonful of salt, half a pint of water, mix sugar and butter well together, add it with the water by degrees to the flour, and form a nice paste, but firmer than puff-paste; use where described.
In a farm-house, for a treat, they use cream to make this paste.
319. Pudding Paste.— 1st Class Paste. Put on a slab, table, board, or basin, one pound of flour, half a pound of beef or mutton suet, chopped rather fine—the first is preferable—form a well with your hand in the centre of the flour, add the suet, a teaspoonful of salt, half of pepper; moisten all with water, working the flour in by degrees, till it forms a stiff paste; work it well for two minutes, throw a little flour on the slab, with the paste on it; let it remain five minutes, then roll it out to any thickness you like. This will be referred to very often, therefore pay particular attention to it, and give it an important place in the book. For savoury pudding, I sometimes vary the flavour, by adding a little chopped parsley, or a little onion, or thyme, or mushrooms in it.
2nd Class Paste. Proceed the same way, putting only six ounces of suet.
3rd Class Paste. The same, with four ounces.
4th Class Paste. The same, with four ounces of dripping.
Lamb, veal, and pork fat, may be used; but as they do not chop so floury, the paste is heavier. But they can be used for baked puddings, which I have introduced at page 102 in that series.
320. Fruit Tart, French fashion.—This requires a mould or a tin pan; it must be well wiped with a cloth, butter it, then take the remains of half puff paste, and roll it well so as to deaden it, then roll it out a size larger than your mould, and about a quarter of an inch thick; place your mould on a baking-tin, put the paste carefully in the mould and shape it well, to obtain all the form of the mould, without making a hole in the paste; put a piece of paper at the bottom, fill with fruit to the top, and bake a nice colour; It will take about half an hour baking with any fruit in season; put plenty of sugar over, according to the acidity of the fruit.
321. Another.—If you have no mould, make a quarter of a pound of paste (No. 318), roll it round or oval to your fancy, a quarter of an inch thick, wet the edge all round about half an inch, raise that part, and pinch it with your thumb and fingers, making a border all round, put on a baking-sheet, fill it with one row of fruit if large, two rows if small; remove the stones, and sift sugar over according to the acidity of the fruit; it will take less time, too, than if in a mould: You see what variation can be made with very little trouble or expense.
322. Small Pastry.—Make a quarter of a pound of half puff paste (No. 318), roll it to a thickness of a quarter of an inch, cut five or six pieces out with the rim of a tumbler; put each piece in a separate tin, shape it well in forming a nice thin rim round the edge with your finger and thumb, three parts fill with either jam, stewed fruit, sweetmeats, custard, pastry, or cream, bake in a very hot oven for twenty minutes; dish up in pyramids, and serve. See Index.
323. Little Fruit Rissolettes.—I also make with the trimmings of puff paste the following little cakes: if you have about a quarter of a pound of puff paste left, roll it out very thin, about the thickness of half a crown, put half a spoonful of any marmalade on it, about one inch and a half distance from each other, wet lightly round them with a paste-brush, and place a similar piece of paste over all, take a cutter of the size of a crown piece, and press round the part where the marmalade or jam is with the thick part of the cutter, to make the paste stick, then cut them out with one a size or two larger, lay them on a baking-tin, egg over, place in a nice hot oven for twenty minutes, then sugar over with finely sifted sugar, so as to make it quite white, then put back into the oven to glaze, and serve.
323A. Plain Puff Paste Cake.—Make half a pound as No. 315a; when done, roll it about a quarter of an inch thick, cut as many pieces as you can with the cutter, or with the edge of n glass, wet a baking sheet, place them on, egg well over, sift some sugar on each, bake from ten to twelve minutes, and serve.
324. Orange and Almond Cakes.—Proceed as above, but lay orange marmalade all over a quarter of an inch thick, four ounces of almonds, cut into fillets, mixed with two ounces of sugar, and the white of two egg added to it; lay the almonds all over the marmalade, bake in a moderate oven, and cut in a diamond shape, dish up on a napkin in crown or pyramid; they ought to be of a nice transparent colour. Apple or quince marmalade may be used instead of orange.
325. Preserve Cake.—This style of cake is exceedingly simple, and admits of great variation. You must make half a pound of puff paste (No. 315A), take one third of it and roll it out several times so as to deaden it, then mould it round with your hands to the shape of a ball, roll it out flat to the thickness of a crown, lay it on a baking-sheet, put on it marmalade, or any other preserve, a quarter of an inch thick, reserving about one inch all round of paste to fix the cover on, then roll out the remainder of the paste to the same shape, it will of course be thicker; wet the edges of the bottom, and lay the cover on it; press it so that it sticks, cut neatly round the edges, and make a mark with the back of a knife about a quarter of an inch deep and half an inch apart all round; egg over, and lightly mark any fanciful design with the point of a knife on the cover; bake in a very hot oven for twenty minutes; when nearly done, sprinkle some sugar over, frost it with a hot shovel, and serve cold.
326. Small Cream Cake—The former one must be made in proportion to the dish you intend to serve on, but the following is simple, and looks as well: Prepare the paste as before, but roll the bottom piece about a foot square, put it on a baking-sheet, cover with half an inch of cream (see Index), leaving one inch round the edge; roll the cover the same size, wet the edges, place it over, trim them, mark it down every three inches, and then crosswise every inch; bake in hot oven, sugar over, and salamander. When nearly cold, cut it where you have marked it; thus, a piece twelve inches square will give you twenty-four pieces; dish as a crown or pyramid. Twelve pieces make a nice dish for a party. They may be made of any puff paste which is left, but will not be so light as if made on purpose; can be cut to any fanciful shape you please. Any jam may be substituted for cream.
327. Fruit Crusts.—Cut a French penny roll lengthwise in four slices, put the yolk of one egg with four spoonfuls of milk, mix it in a plate, dip quickly each piece in it, and saute" in 3 quarter of a pound of butter which you have previously melted in a frying pan; leave them on the fire until they have obtained a nice gold colour on both sides; put three spoonfuls of orange marmalade in a stewpan, with two glasses of sherry or brandy and place on the fire; when on the point of boiling, pour over the bread, which you have previously put in a plate, and serve very hot. Any preserve may be used, also any white wine; and should you have no French rolls, any fancy roll will do, or even the crumb of common bread. Any kinds of jam may be used.
Having, the other evening, been invited to a children's party at Farmer Laurence's, near Oswestry, and the supper being composed, for the most part, of dumplings of various sorts, so as to please the children, I made the following experiment, which proved quite successful.
328.—Greengages being very plentiful, I went and gathered some, and made the following fruit dumplings. I made half a pound of paste (No. 319), rolled it out rather thin, then cut a piece round with the rim of a tumbler, moistened it, and placed a gage in the centre, adding a half teaspoonful of sugar, inclosed all in the paste, thoroughly closing the rim, then placed on the baking-sheet, the smooth part uppermost, and baked them from ten to twelve minutes, serving them up with sugar. They made a beautiful dish.
Gooseberries, rhubarb; cherries, and mulberries, can all be done this way. All kinds of plums can be done the same.
329. Plain Cheese Cake.—Put half a pint of milk curds, well drained, in a basin, add to it an ounce and a half of butter, stir perfectly smooth, put in three teaspoonfuls of sugar, one ounce of washed currants, one egg, half a pint of milk, and any flavour you like, as lemon, orange, &c. &c. Prepare your paste as No. 322, fill up the tins with this, bake the same, and serve.
Dearest Eloise,—There is one little and perhaps insignificant French cake, which I feel certain would soon become a favourite in the cottage, more particularly amongst its juvenile inhabitants. It is the famed galette, the melodramatic food of the gamins, galopins, mechanics, and semi-artists of France. Show me one of the above-named citizens who has not tasted this irresistible and famed cake, after having digested the best and most sanguinary melodrama, from the, "Courier of Lyons" to the "Corsican Brothers," and from the "Pilules, du Diable" to the "Seven Wonders of the World," after having paid their duty to the elegance of the performance and performers, and entirely forgetting, as usual, the author, who is supposed to live in his tomb, whilst the actors and artists are dead in reality. Setting that on one side, observe that the last Seventh Wonder is over, the red-blue-green fire no longer required; the scene-shifter bolts and gets the first cut, smoking hot; then, also, rush the audience, full of melodrama and anything but food, to the galette-shop, where the Père Coupe-toujours (Father Cut-and-come-again) is in full activity, taking the money first, and delivering the galette afterwards. Six feet wide by ten long is the galette-shop, and very clean, and above one hundred feet of galette is sold in less than one hour, at a sou or two the cut.
Such is, even in summer, the refreshment of the admirers of the Boulevard du Crime.
Like everything which has its origin with the million, it soon aims to an aristocracy of feeling, and I was not a little surprised, the last time I was in Paris, to see a fashionable crowd round an elegant shop, close to the Gymnase Theatre; on inquiring of a venerable citizen, who was anxiously waiting, with ten sous in his hand, the motive of such a crowd, he informed me that he was waiting his turn to buy ten sous worth of galette du Gymnase, which he told me was the most celebrated in Paris. He passed; and then ladies, beautifully dressed, took their turn; in fact, the crowd brought to my recollection the description of the scene of the bread market at Athens (described in Soyer's "Pantropheon"), where the ladies of fashion or the petites maitresses of ancient Greece used to go to select the delicious puff cake, called placites, or the sweet melitutes, whose exquisite and perfumed flour was delicately kneaded with the precious honey of Mount Hymettus. At all events, I was determined not only to taste, but to procure the receipt if I possibly could; and as you know, Eloise, I seldom fail, when determined, the following is a copy.
330. Aristocratic Galette.—Work lightly in a basin or on a table one pound of flour with three quarters of a pound of fresh butter; add two eggs, a gill of cream, and a little milk; if too stiff, then add a quarter of a teaspoonful of Bait, two of sugar; work all well, to form a good stiff paste, throw some flour on the table, mould the paste round, roll it three quarters of an inch thick, and quite round, egg over, score it with a knife in diamonds, or any other shape; bake for about half an hour in a rather hot oven, sprinkle sugar over and serve. A pound of either puff, No. 315a, or half puff paste, No. 316, will make a very light galette; sugar over, and bake as above.
331. Cottage Galette.—Put one pound of flour, a teaspoonful of salt, six ounces of butter; moisten with milk, and bake as above, adding a teaspoonful of sugar.
332. Poor Man's Galette.—One pound of flour, a quarter of a pound of lard, moisten with milk, or water; proceed as above, moisten with a little water on the top, and dredge sugar over. If no lard, use dripping.
INTRODUCTION TO PIES, BOTH SWEET AND SAVOURY.
No matter how ridiculous it may appear to Mrs. Smith, or Mrs. Brown, or Mrs. Any-body-else, do not omit to give room to the following remarks on pies. Never mind how simple these remarks may seem to you, the million will understand them well. For example, where is the little boy or girl in Great Britain who has not eaten pies sweet and savoury? From childhood we eat pies—from girlhood to boyhood we eat pies—from middle age to old age we eat pies—in fact, pies in England may be considered as one of our best companions du voyage through life. It is we who leave them behind, not they who leave us; for our children and grandchildren will be as fond of pie as we have been; therefore it is needful that we should learn how to make them, and make them well! Believe me, I am not jesting, but if all the spoilt pies made in London on one single Sunday were to be exhibited in a row beside a railway line, it would take above an hour by special train to pass in review these culinary victims; therefore see the importance of the subject. If we could only rescue to proper standing half a mile of pies and pie-crust, I think we should deserve a piece of plate, or at least a piece of one of our disciple's pies.
How to Make a Pie to Perfection.—When your paste u carefully made (No. 316), or short paste (No. 318), which requires no more time than doing badly, and your pies and tarts properly full—(this is the last and most important process in pie and tart making)—throw a little flour on your paste-board, take about a quarter of a pound of your paste, which roll with your hand, say an inch in circumference; moisten the rim of your pie-dish, and fix the paste equally on it with your thumb. When you have rolled your paste for the covering of an equal thickness, in proportion to the contents of your pie (half an inch is about correct for the above description), fold the cover in two, lay on the half of your pie, turn the other half over, press slightly with your thumb round the rim, cut neatly the rim of your paste, form rather a thick edge, which mark with a knife about every quarter of an inch apart; mark, holding your knife in a slanting direction, which gives it a neat appearance; make two small holes on the top; egg over with a paste-brush; if no egg, use a drop of milk or water; the remaining paste may be shaped to fanciful designs to ornament the top. For meat pies, notice, that if your paste is either too thick or too thin, the covering too narrow or too short, and requires pulling one way or the other, to make it fit, your pie is sure to be imperfect, the covering no longer protecting the contents. It is the same with meat; and if the paste happens to be rather rich, it pulls the rim of the pie to the dish, soddens the paste, makes it heavy, and, therefore, indigestible as well as unpalateable. A little practice and common sense will remedy all those little housewifery tribulations, and probably improve the appearance of this series of dishes.
333. Plain Apple and other Tart.—Peel and cut about two pounds of apples, sharp ones being the best for the purpose, cut each in four pieces, removing the cores, then cut each quarter in two or three pieces, according to size; put half of them in a pie-dish, slightly press them, so that they lay compact; put over two ounces of brown sugar, then put in the remaining apples, then add another two ounces of sugar, making the apples form a kind of dome, the centre being two inches higher than tho sides; add a small wineglassful of water, cover the top over with paste No. 318; bake in a moderate oven from half to three-quarters of an hour.
All kinds of apples will, of course, make tarts, but if the apples be sweetish or too ripe, you need not put in so much sugar, but add double the quantity of water; in this case the addition of a little juice of a lemon is an improvement to vary the flavour; use also a little grated or chopped lemon or orange-peel, or a quarter of a teaspoonful of cinnamon, or mixed spice, or four cloves,
Green rhubarb and greengages will require a little more sugar, adding nothing else but the fruit; proceed as for apple-tart; pink rhubarb does not require pealing; ripe currants, raspberries, and cherries, also as above; plum, damson, and mulberries the same.
Notes: