Paste For Custards Or Preserved Fruits

Put six ounces of butter over the fire in a saucepan with six tablespoonfuls of water, let it come to the boil, and then mix into it as much flour as will make a stiff paste, Knead and beat it with a rolling-pin till smooth, then form it into a lump, and cover with a cloth till almost cold. Take a piece of the paste large enough for the purpose, knead it into a lump, then press the knuckles of the left hand into the top nearly in the middle, and with the right hand keep working the paste up the back of the left hand, shifting it round and round meanwhile, forming the paste into a circular shape with a flat bottom and upright sides like an ordinary jam-pot. The paste ought to be stiff enough to keep in shape when the hand is withdrawn if it has not been pressed too thin or into holes. Trim the edges, line the paste with paper till half-baked, then remove the paper, pour in the custard or preserve, and finish baking.

Paste For Ornamenting Tartlets

Rub one ounce of butter into four ounces of flour. Mix it to a stiff paste with a little cold water, rub it well on the board until it begins to string, then cut it into four or five pieces and roll them out, draw it into fine strings, and lay them across the tartlets in any fancied pattern.

Paste For Patties

Sift one pound of the best white flour through a fine wire sieve onto a marble slab; mix with it a few drops of lemon-juice, a saltspoonful of salt, and stir it into a stiff paste with cold water. Squeeze the water out of one pound of butter by putting it in a cloth and working it well with both hands; then put it in the middle of the paste, fold the edges round it, and roll it out. Fold the paste in three, turn it round and roll it the other way. Let it rest for twenty minutes, then roll it twice more, and so on until it has been rolled six times. Next roll the paste out to the thickness of one-half inch, and with a plain tin cutter two and one-half inches in diameter, cut the paste into rounds; the cutter should be dipped into hot water each time it is used. Place the rounds on a baking-tin, brush them over with a paste-brush dipped in beaten egg, then with a tin cutter about one and one-half inches in diameter, cut half way through the center of each round. Bake them in a brisk oven, taking care not to let the paste brown too much. When the patties are cooked, lift the paste where the circle is marked, that being to form the covers, scoop out some of the paste and fill them with whatever has been prepared for them.

Paste For Oyster Patties

Put twelve ounces of well-sifted flour in a basin, and mix in with it the strained juice of a lemon, and a sufficient quantity of water to form a light dough. Dredge a marble slab with flour, put the dough on it and knead it well, then roll it out, spread twelve ounces of butter over, fold it again, and roll out four times, then fold it in three and stand it in a cool place. In about two hours' time roll the paste out to about one-third inch in thickness, and cut out several large rounds, and the same number of small ones, using two different sized paste cutters, which should be dipped in flour each time to prevent their sticking. Lay the rounds on a baking-tin and bake them till lightly browned. When cooked scoop a little of the paste out of the center of each round, fill the hollow with whatever may have been prepared for it, and cover with the smaller rounds.