COOKING HINTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 208, 3 September 1927, Page 24

COOKING HINTS.

PUFF PASTRY, 'SOME USEFUL SUGGESTIONS A Reliable Recipe. Puff pastrv is the most delicate of all baked pastrv. It is made with equal quantities of butter and flour, a little lemon juice, water, salt, with sometimes the yolk of an egg to impart a richer colour. Take lib of fresh, pure butter and press it in the corner of a clean floured cloth until any milk or water it may contain is extracted. Make it into a square about Jin thick, and put away in a cool place. Now sift lib of very fine flour with J teaspoonful of salt on to the pastry slab; make a well in the centre and pour in half-pint of cold water with one teaspoonful of lemon juice and the yolk of an egg, if desired. Mix the flour gradually in from the sides until a firm, smooth paste is obtained, which ceases to adhere either to the slab or the fingers. Knead until the whole is elastic and will not split on being pulled out. This dough must now be rolled into a square rather larger than the butter. Remove the butter out of the cloth and lay it upon the pastry, folding the four sides of the dough over the butter until it is covered up like a parcel. Turn it over on a slab and roll it out very carefully until it is about J yard long and in shape an oblong strip. Fold over one-third of the length and then fold the uncovered third over this. The pastry has now had the first roll and should be laid aside for 15 minutes in a very cool place. After it has set roll it again in an oblong strip until it attains the proper length; fold as before, then roll it again, fold once more and put it away. Each roll is technically termed a twin. When folding it will be observed that three of the edges are uneven, and one is a smooth fold; keep this always to the left-hand side so that the pastry is rolled the same way. Between each two turns the pastry must be set aside for 15 minutes. When six tarns extra to the first turn have been given the pastry is ready for use. Puff pastry requires a steady but brisk oven.

Puff Squares. Puff squares, made from puff pastry, are delicious but rich. Roll some puff pastry into a thickness of £in, cutting it into squares with sides measuring 2 J in. Place the latter on a baking sheet in a hot oven. Cook them for 10 to 15 minutes, leave them to cool on a sieve, and in the meantime prepare the filling. Whisk the whites of two eggs to a stiff froth, fold in two tablespoonfuls of castor sugar and also half a gill of stiffly whipped cream. Flavour them with vanilla, split the squares into halves and spread the mixture between them. Over the top of each pour some white icing. Chocolate Tartleta. Three macaroons, §-pint milk, S tablespoonfuls grated chocolate, 2 yolks of eggs, caster sugar, vanilla, pastry.— Line a dozen tartlet tins with pastry. Melt the chocolate in a little of the milk until quite smooth. Then add remainder of the milk and the crushed macaroons, and let them simmer for ten minutes. Then remove from fire. Add sugar to taste, also vanilla and egg yolks. Mi* well and fill the lined tins with the mixture. Lay some strips of pastry on top to form a trellis work pattern. Bake in good oven for 20 minutes. Then brush tartlets over with lightly-beaten white of egg and dredge with sugar. Jam Puffs. Pastry, jam, white of egg and caster sugar.—These puffs may be made with any pastry liked. Roll out rather thinly and cut into rounds four or five inches in diameter. Wet edges and put a little jam in centre of each. Fold over and press edges well together. Place puffs on a wetted or greased baking „ sheet, brush over with beaten white of an egg or water and dredge with sugar. Bake in moderate oven 15 to 20 minutes. The pastry may be cut into squares and folded from corner to corner if preferred. Coconut Cheese Cakes. Half-pound puff pastry, 4oz desiccated eocoanut, 3oz butter, 2oz sugar, 2 eggs.— Line some patty pans with pastry. Cream, butter and sugar, and beat in eggs one at a time. When well beaten add the coconut and stir well. Nearly fill the lined tins with the mixture and bake in a hot oven for about twenty minutes. When ready dust with sugar. Royal Tartleta. Half-pound butter, £lb sugar, 2oz peel, 3oz cake crumbs, 3oz Hour, 2eggs, 2oz glace cherries, $lb rough puff or short pastry.—Lino some patty tins with pastry, cream, butter and sugar, add the yolks of eggs one at a time and then add fine cake crumbs, cherries cut into four and chopped peel. Mix well and then stir in lightly the stifflywhipped whites of eggs. Fill the lined patty tins with mixture and put on top of each two thin squares of pastry in form of a cross. Bake in a moderate oven thirty minutes. These tartlets may be served hot or cold. Orange Custard Tarts. Three oz butter and of sugar, 3 egg yolks, 1 orange, puff pastry, 1 gill cream, rough puff paatry.—Cream, butter and sugar. Then add egg yolks one at a time. Beat well and add the grated rind of the orange and the strained juice of half the orange. Add the cream and mix well together. Line patty pans with pastry and fill them with the mixture. Bake in moderate oven 20 to 30 minutes. Serve hot or cold. Custard Tarts. Half-pint milk, 3 yolks and 1 white of egg, sugar, short crust.—Line patty tins with short crust and bake them until pastry is set but not brown. Meanwhile prepare the custard. Heat the milk. Beat the eggs with dessert spoonful of sugar and pour the hot milk gradually on them, stirring all the time. Then strain. Fill the pastry cases with the custard, dust with grated nutmeg and return to oven until custard is set and pastry nicely browned. A few ratafias or macaroon biscuit crumbs may be put in the cases before filling with custard. The time to bake in all about 30 to 35 minutes.