_Paste Royal._
Mix together one pound of flour, and two ounces of sifted sugar; rub into it half a pound of good b.u.t.ter, and make it into a paste not over stiff. Roll it out for your pans. This paste is proper for any sweet tart or cheesecake.
_Short or Puff Paste._ No. 1.
Rub together six ounces of b.u.t.ter and eight of flour; mix it up with as little water as possible, so as to make a stiff paste. Beat it well, and roll it thin. This is the best crust of all for tarts that are to be eaten cold and for preserved fruit. Have a moderate oven.
_Short Paste._ No. 2.
Half a pound of loaf-sugar, and the same quant.i.ty of b.u.t.ter, to be rubbed into a pound of flour; then make it into paste with two eggs.
_Short Paste._ No. 3.
To a pound and a quarter of sifted flour rub gently in half a pound of fresh b.u.t.ter, mixed up with half a pint of spring water, and set it by for a quarter of an hour; then roll it out thin; lay on it in small pieces three quarters of a pound more of b.u.t.ter; throw on it a little more flour, roll it out thin three times, and set it by for an hour in a cold place.
_Short Paste._ No. 4.
Take one pound of flour, half a pound of fresh b.u.t.ter, and about four table-spoonfuls of pounded white sugar. Knead the paste with the yolks of two eggs well beaten up instead of water. Roll it very thin for biscuits or tarts.
_Short Paste._ No. 5.
Three ounces of b.u.t.ter to something less than a pound of flour and the yolk of one egg; the b.u.t.ter to be thoroughly worked into the flour; if you use sugar, there is no occasion for an egg.
_Short Paste._ No. 6.
Three quarters of a pound of b.u.t.ter, and the same of flour; mix the flour very stiff with a little water; put the b.u.t.ter in a clean cloth, and press it thoroughly to get from it all the water. Then roll out all the flour and water paste, and lay the b.u.t.ter upon it, double over the paste, and beat it with a rolling-pin. Double it up quite thick, lay it in a clean plate, and put it in a cool place for an hour. If it is not light when tried in the oven, it must be beaten again.
_Short Paste._ No. 7.
Rub into your flour as much b.u.t.ter as possible, without its being greasy; rub it in very fine; put water to make it into a nice light paste; roll it out; stick bits of b.u.t.ter all over it; then flour and roll it up again. Do this three times; it is excellent for meat-pies.
_Short Paste, made with Suet._
To one pound of flour take about half a pound of beef suet chopped very small; pour boiling water upon it; let it stand a little time; then mix the suet with the flour, taking as little of the water as possible, and roll it very thin; put a little sugar and white of egg over the crust before it is baked.
_Sugar Paste._
Take half a pound of flour, and the same quant.i.ty of sugar well pounded; work it together, with a little cream and about two ounces of b.u.t.ter, into a stiff paste; roll it very thin. When the tarts are made, rub the white of an egg, well beaten, over them with a feather; put them in a moderate oven, and sift sugar over them.
_Peaches, to preserve in Brandy._ No. 1.
The peaches should be gathered before they are too ripe; they should be of the hard kind--old Newington or the Magdalen peaches are the best.
Rub off the down with a flannel, and loosen the stone, which is done by cutting a quill and pa.s.sing it carefully round the stone. p.r.i.c.k them with a large needle in several places; put them into cold water; give them a great deal of room in the preserving-pan; scald them extremely gently: the longer you are scalding them the better, for if you do them hastily, or with too quick a fire, they may crack or break. Turn them now and then with a feather: when they are tender to the feel, like a hard-boiled egg that has the sh.e.l.l taken off, remove them from the fire, carefully take them out, and cover them up close with a flannel. You must in all their progress observe to keep the fruit covered, and, whenever you take it from the scalding syrup, cover it up with a cloth or flannel, or the air will change the colour. Then put to them a thin syrup cool. The next day, if you think the syrup too thin, drain it well from the peaches, and add a little more sugar; boil it up, and put it to them almost cold. To a pint of syrup put half a pint of the best pale brandy you can get, which sweeten with fine sugar. If the brandy is dark-coloured, it will spoil the look of the fruit. The peaches should be well chosen, and they should have sufficient room in the gla.s.s jars.
When the liquor wastes, supply the deficiency by adding more syrup and brandy. Cover them with a bladder, and every now and then turn them upside down, till the fruit is settled.
_Peaches, to preserve in Brandy._ No. 2.
Scald some of the finest peaches of the white heart kind, free from spots, in a stewpan of water; take them out when soft, and put them into a large table-cloth, four or five times doubled. Into a quart of white French brandy put ten ounces of powdered sugar; let it dissolve, and stir it well. Put your peaches into a gla.s.s jar; pour the brandy on them; cover them very close with leather and bladder, and take care to keep your jar filled with brandy.
You should mix your brandy and sugar before you scald the peaches.
_Peaches, to preserve in Brandy._ No. 3.
Put Newington peaches in boiling water: just give them a scald, but do not let them boil; then take them out, and throw them into cold water.
Dry them on a sieve, and put them in long wide-mouthed bottles. To half a dozen peaches take half a pound of sugar; just wet it, and make it a thick syrup. Pour it over the peaches hot; when cold, fill the bottles with the finest pale brandy, and stop them very close.
_Pears, to pot._
Put in your fruit scored; cover them with apple jelly, and let them boil till they break; then put them in a hair sieve, and rub them through with a spoon till you think it thick enough. Boil up as many pounds of sugar to a candy as you have pints of paste, and when the sugar is put in the paste, just scald it, and put it into pots.
_Pears, to stew._
Pare some Barland pears; take out the core, and lay them close in a tin saucepan, with a cover fitting quite exact; add the rind of a lemon cut thin and half its juice, a small stick of cinnamon, twenty grains of allspice, and one pound of loaf-sugar, to a pint and a half of water.
Bake them six hours in a very slow oven. Prepared cochineal is often used for colouring.
_Chicken Pie._
Parboil and neatly cut up your chickens; dry them, and set them over a slow fire for a few minutes; have ready some forcemeat, and with it some pieces of ham; lay these at the bottom of the dish, and place the chickens upon it; add some gravy well seasoned. It takes from an hour and a half to two hours.
_Giblet Pie._
Let the giblets be well cleaned, and put all into a saucepan excepting the liver, with a little water and an onion, some whole pepper, a bunch of sweet-herbs, and a little salt. Cover them close, and let them stew till tender; then lay in your dish a puff paste, and upon that a rump-steak peppered and salted; put the seasoned giblets in with the liver, and add the liquor they were stewed in. Close the pie; bake it two hours; and when done pour in the gravy.
A Dutch pie is made in the same way.
_Common Goose Pie._
Quarter a goose and season it well. Make a raised crust, and lay it in, with half a pound of b.u.t.ter at the top, cut into three pieces. Put the lid on, and bake it gently.
_Rich Goose Pie._