Careme's Recipe For Puff-Paste

Twelve ounces of finely sifted flour.

Twelve ounces of butter.

One scant glassful of ice-water.

Two drams of salt.

Two eggs (yolks).

Having placed the flour on the board, make a small hole in the middle of it, into which put the salt, the yolks of the eggs, and nearly a glassful of ice-water. With the ends of the fingers gradually mix the flour with the liquid ingredients, adding a little more water when necessary, until the paste is of the proper consistency - rather firm than otherwise. Then lean the hand on the board and work the paste for some minutes, when it will become soft to the touch and glossy in appearance. Care must be taken in mixing the flour with the liquid that the latter does not escape, and that the paste be very lightly gathered together to prevent it forming into lumps, which would render it stiff and very difficult to work, thus making a failure of the paste very probable. To ascertain whether the dough has been properly worked, draw it out and if it immediately recedes to its former shape, the cook may be sure it has been clumsily and irregularly mixed. To remedy this, roll the paste out carefully and place here and there upon it five or six pieces of butter, each the size of a walnut; then work it as before until the proper degree of softness is attained. The paste should neither be too stiff nor too soft, but of a proper medium ; yet it is better for it to be too soft than too stiff. A warm place should not be chosen in which to make puff paste, hence it is rather difficult to do work of this kind properly in summer. If a cool place cannot be found, the paste might be made up slightly stiffer in summer than in winter. When the paste has been made as above, cut in pieces three-quarters of a pound of butter which has been lying for twenty minutes in ice-water, and been afterward well washed and pounded. Squeeze and work the butter well in a napkin to separate the water from it and at the same time to render it soft, and, above all, of an even consistency; then as quickly as possible roll the paste into a square on a marble slab, being particular to make the ends of the dough perfectly even, as success depends largely on folding properly. Place the butter in the middle, spread it over half the paste, and immediately turn the other half over the butter to cover it. Then roll the paste out to be about three feet in length, fold it so as to make three thicknesses, and roll it as before; then fold it once more into three equal parts, roll it to a greater length, fold it, and place it quickly on a plate sprinkled with flour. Set the plate upon ten pounds of pounded ice, cover the paste with a second plate, and place a pound of broken ice on top of the latter plate, which serves to keep the surface of the paste cool, and also to prevent it being softened by the action of the air. After two or three minutes remove the top plate and turn the paste upside down, instantly covering it as before. In about fifteen minutes roll the paste out, and use it very expeditiously.

Thus in less than half an hour it is possible to make very fine puff-paste, but this is only provided everything has been previously prepared - the ice pounded, the butter frozen and the oven made quite hot, for otherwise the paste cannot be made so quickly. The heating of the oven must be attended to by all means, for it sometimes requires fully an hour to bring it to the proper temperature. It is safe to begin to make the paste when the oven is half heated.