Home › The Principles of Cookery › Paste, Puff, or Feuilletage

Paste, Puff, or Feuilletage

This paste, though decidedly superior to every other kind in appearance and taste, is rather indigestible for delicate persons. Good sweet salt butter, which has been well washed in cold water, squeezed with the hands to free it from the salt, and afterwards wrung in a cloth to take away all the moisture, is the best material which can be used for it. The consistency of the butter is of considerable importance. If it is too hard, it will not easily mix with the flour, but if it is too soft, the paste will be entirely spoilt, in consequence of the butter breaking through the edges whilst it is being rolled. As the difficulty experienced is generally to get the butter sufficiently cool, many cooks place it upon ice before using it for the pastry. In hot weather, the paste should be placed on a marble slab for a few minutes, to keep it cool between each turn. If very flaky pastry is required, the paste may be brushed lightly over each time it is rolled with white of egg. In making puff-paste proceed as follows. Put on a clean pastry-board or slab one pound of best flour thoroughly dried and sifted; make a hole in the centre, and put into it half a tea-spoonful of salt, and rather less than half a pint of water. The exact quantity of water cannot be given, but experience will soon enable the cook to determine when the paste is sufficiently stiff. It should be mixed in gradually with a knife, and should form a clear smooth paste, being worked lightly with the hands, until it ceases to adhere to them or to the board. Let it remain on the slab for two minutes. Have ready prepared three-quarters of a pound of butter, freed from salt and moisture. Flatten the paste till it is an inch thick, lay the butter in the centre, and fold over the four sides of the paste, so as to form a square, and completely hide the butter. Leave this to cool for two or three minutes, then dredge the slab and the paste with flour, and roll the paste out till it is three feet in length, and be especially careful that the butter does not break through the flour. (See what was said above on this subject.) Fold over a third of the length from one end, and lay the other third upon it. This folding into three is called giving one turn. Put the paste in a cool place for ten minutes, give it two more turns, rest again, and let it have another two. This will be in all five turns, and these will generally be found sufficient. If, however, the pastry is to be used for vol-auvents or patties, six or seven times will be required. Gather the paste together and it is ready for use, and may be used at once, or left till next day. Handle it all the time as lightly as possible, and remember to dredge a little flour over it, the board, and the rolling-pin every time the dough is rolled, to keep it from sticking. French cooks mix the yolks of two eggs with the flour and water in the first instance. If a very rich paste is required, a pound of butter may be put with a pound of flour. Probable cost, 1s. 2d. per pound.