IN THE KITCHEN

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 20, 18 October 1930, Page 18

IN THE KITCHEN

PUFF PASTRY Puff pastry is the most delicate of all baked pastry. It is made with equal quantities of butter and flour, a little lemon juice, wafer, salt, with sometimes the yolk of an egg to impart a richer colour. Take 11b. 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 1-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 to 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 i-yard long and in shape an oblong strip. Fold over onethird of the length and then fold the uncovered third over this. The pastry has now bad the first roll and should be laid aside for 15 minutes in a 1 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 lefthand 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 turns 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. Roil some puff pastry into a thickness of Jin., cutting it into squares with sides measuring 2Jin. 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 TARTLETS. Three macaroons, i pint milk, 2 tablespoonfuls grated chocolate, 2 yolks of eggs, castor 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. Mix well and fill the lined tins with the mixture. Lay some strips of pastry on top to form q trelliswork pattern. Bake in good oven for ,20 minutes. Then brush tartlets over with lightly-beaten white of egg and dredge with sugar.