Equal quantities of butter and flour, the yolk of one egg, and a pinch of salt to every pound of flour; a little water. See first that the flour is dry and sifted. See that the butter is well squeezed in a cloth, so as much as possible to extract all moisture from it. The butter must be firm, but not frozen. The slab on which the pastry is rolled must be clean and cool. A marble slab is best. If in winter, no ice is necessary; if in summer, and the day is hot, perfect success cannot be guaranteed without a little rough ice.

Put the flour in a heap on the slab, and make a "well" in the centre, in which place the yolk of egg, the pinch of salt, about two ounces of the butter, and a little water. Gradually mix in the flour with the rest of the ingredients, using the fingers of the right hand, and taking care gradually to rub the butter into the flour. A little more water must be added from time to time till all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed, after which, the paste should be sprinkled with a little more water, and worked backwards and forwards on the slab for a few minutes. The paste at this period should be soft, smooth, and elastic.

Next take the remainder of the butter, and, after squeezing it, press it flat, place it on the paste rolled out. The sides of the paste should then be turned up over the butter, so as to completely cover it.

Next shake a little flour on the paste-board and on the paste. Shape the paste square and let it cool for about ten minutes, using ice if in summer, as afterwards directed. This square should measure rather less than a foot each way, say, ten inches.

Next, place the now cool square on the slab, shake a little flour on the slab, and on the paste as before, and roll the paste out longways, i. e., don't let it get any wider, but keep the sides in, and make it longer - say, two feet long by ten inches wide -and be very particular to keep the edges square; the paste, in fact, must be so rolled that its shape is that of a large, long book, not of a long, oval tin.

Next, fold the paste into three, turn it half round, and roll it out again - still, of course, keeping the edges square. If the weather be hot, it may now be put back into the ice for ten minutes.

Once more roll it out, fold it into three, turn it half round so as to roll it the other way. The paste may be put back into the ice or left to cool, if in winter, three times altogether; and can be be rolled out, folded, and half-turned twice or three times between each.

In rolling out the paste, remember, you roll from you. You, so to speak, roll the paste and make it three times taller, without letting it get any wider, being careful to keep the edges square, and not let them get round.

In folding the paste into three, you will generally be able to guess pretty well how to make the three flaps the same size.

In turning it half round, suppose you have folded it into three, and shut up the paste like a book with its back towards you.

In rolling it out next time you turn "the book," as if you were going to open it ready for reading.

Of course these directions are only necessary to absolute novices.

The paste is now ready for use. In making tartlets or cases for cheesecakes, remember, really good puff-paste a quarter of inch thick will rise to the height of two inches. When this is the case, you may consider your success perfect.

In cooling puff-paste in summer, a very little rough ice is sufficient. Have three good-sized tins ready, perfectly clean, about a foot square. Place some pounded ice in the bottom tin, and place a tin on it. Place the folded paste on this tin, and place the third tin - also containing some pounded ice -on the top of the paste. A very little ice is necessary, and the top tin should not be too heavy with ice. The middle tin should be lightly floured.

Thin tins are best; dishes would not " convey heat" sufficiently quickly to cool paste nicely. In "cooling" the paste, the heat is conveyed from the paste, or it would not cool.