Although it is generally admitted that the clever pastry-cook is, like the Poet, born, not made; or, in other words, that the art of making really good pastry is a gift, rather than an accomplishment, there can be no doubt that the chef of average capacity is capable of improving himself by studying the rules which govern this branch of his profession. Ramasamy stands in great need of instruction here, for his ideas of pastry are, as a rule, crude in the extreme. He is acquainted apparently with two standard compositions alone, which he distinguishes by the terms "butter crust," and "suet crust." The former is a kind of short bread, the latter a humble apology for puff paste. His selection of the one or of the other, if left to himself, is guided by one law :- "butter crust" for sweet things, and "suet crust" for savoury. Concerning the former I have but little to say. In my opinion it is so very inferior to puff paste, that I recommend its use in no branch of cookery whatever. If a cook be wholly incapable of making eatable puff pastry, he may, of course, be permitted to fall back upon his "butter crust," but I would never allow him to do so unless quite satisfied of his incompetence. "Suet crust," on the other hand, is the "subject of my story" for I think that with a little careful teaching Ramasamy is capable of achieving very fair results with it.

Now, I think that it would be a mere waste of time to jot down a great number of recipes for pastry. The ordinary domestic cookery book generally contains a dozen or more of them which tend, I think, to confuse rather than to instruct the student. In endeavouring to improve our native cooks, we should certainly cast aside all complication, and reduce our instruction to the simplest formulae. So, let us do our best to confine their attention to three compositions as follows:-

(a)............puff paste.

(b)............pie-crust.

(c)............raised pie-crust.

The first to be used for the vol-au-vent, all patties, bou-chees, fruit tarts, tartlets, puffs, cheese cakes, mince pies, etc., etc.

The second for all savoury pies made in the ordinary pie-dish, such as pigeon pie, chicken and beef steak pie, etc., etc.

The third for savoury pies in raised crust, like the well-known pork pie, veal and ham pie, etc., of the English restaurant.

If a cook can present a good sample of each of these pastes, he need not bother his head with varieties. Let us then run through the 'a. b. c' of pastry-making, and make sure that our chef thoroughly understands the elementary part of this branch of his work:-

First, if you can possibly get one, you should use a marble pastry slab. As I said at page 72, in Madras the chief difficulty the pastry-maker has to contend against is the high temperature: a jugful of iced water poured slowly over the surface of the slab (since marble retains cold far more readily than wood) is his surest safeguard. In fact, without iced water at his elbow, the cook can scarcely hope to turn out really light puff pastry. I have heard a good many people speak in high praise of the pastry that they have eaten at certain hostelries on the Neilgherries, and express wonder that similarly excellent feuilletage is never placed before them here. Climate has a great deal to say to this, and without wishing to depreciate the talent of the Coonoor or Ooty patissiers, we must remember the advantages that they enjoy in the matter of temperature.

The next golden rule is that which enjoins scrupulous cleanliness. Everything connected with this department must be as bright and clean as possible.

A third law, which I think our cooks rarely obey, is the one that demands the careful weighing of ingredients. Ramasamy converses about "cups" of butter and " table-spoonfuls" of flour. I do not think that he is nearly particular enough with regard to the accurate weight of the tilings he uses. Carelessness in this matter must obviously be the precursor of failure.

The mere manipulation of pastry is, as I said before, a gift; still, every cook should remember that the less he thumps and mauls the dough the lighter it will be, and that the quicker the work is done the better.

The pastry-maker should wash his hands before going to work in very hot water, and plunge them into iced water afterwards, drying them well before proceeding to business. The frequent use of iced water to cool the hands while working will contribute to the success of the undertaking.

It is here essential to observe that a little practice will enable the cook to mix his dough, in the first instance with two strong wooden spoons, or with a wedgewood mortar pestle and one spoon. This I consider a matter of material consequence. Setting aside all hypercritical notions of cleanliness, it stands to reason that the less the paste is touched by the warm human hand, the better and lighter it will prove. Similarly, therefore, let the turns in the rolling-out stage be done with two spoons. If the mixing-stage were carried out in a roomy enamelled iron pan, or bowl, set in ice, the spoon process could be easily managed.

Pastry should be made, if possible, in the morning before the real heat of the day has set in. Fruit tarts are far nicer cold than hot, why not make them early then ? Or if you like them served hot, why not re-heat them in the oven at the time they are required? For patties, bouchees, timbales, tartlets, cheese-cakes, etc., this course is strongly to be advocated. The pastry cases ought to be made early, baked at once and put away; in the evening they should be filled with the salpicon, puree, jam, cheese-cake mixture, or confiture, be re-heated in the oven, and sent to table.

A most important feature in pastry is its baking. Too slack, or too fierce an oven, will destroy all the careful work I have just described. A good hot oven is required, sufficiently brisk to raise the pastry, yet not severe enough to burn or even scorch it. Ramasamy is inclined to err on the side of extreme heat, which, I think, accounts for those harsh, talc-like slabs of pale brown crust, piled up one on top of the other, which so many of us are forced to accept as "puff-paste." The higher that these layers of talc have "done raise it uff," the more successful does Ramasamy consider himself. "Erroneous vassal !" Puff-pastry cannot be too white, or too volatile; so fragile indeed should it be that it ought e'en to crumble to atoms if stricken with a feather.