Open Tarts
Take the puff paste, after it has received its last rolling, roll out evenly in a sheet one-fourth of an inch in thickness (you need not roll out the whole of the paste, but cut off a piece sufficient to make the number of tarts you wish, and roll them out). The sheet being ready, cut the number you require with a scalloped round cutter, about two and a half inches in diameter. Place them on the baking pans, having turned them over, bringing the bottom on the top. Next wash them with egg, or egg and water, then with a small, plain round cutter, one inch in diameter, make a mark in the center of each, pressing the cutter half through. Then just "dock" each in the center with the point of a knife or a fork (this is to prevent their blistering), now bake them. You will then find that the part marked with the small, round cutter has detached itself from the other part; this you remove with a penknife or a fork, and a hole will be left, into which pour what jam or jelly you intend using. This plan is far preferable for making the hole to receive the jelly than to place, as some recommend, sliced potatoes or small yieces of wood in the center, removing them when baked. These certainly form the hole, but their weight keeps down the pastry, and consequently it is not so light. By the plan I have given you obtain a good hole for the jelly without injuring the lightness of the pastry. Some add their jelly before baking, but that is wrong, as in baking the heat causes the jelly to boil, and it spreads itself over the tart and spoils its appearance. OYSTER PATE (A LA PYRAMID).
Take a piece of short paste, or scraps of puff paste, roll it out one-fourth of an inch thick, and cut out the number of pieces you require with the same cutter as for open tarts, place them in baking pan and "dock" them with a fork. Now cut a like number with the same cutter, and of the same thickness, but from the best puff paste, wash those cut from the scraps, or short paste, and place those cut from the puff paste on them, wash with egg, and "dock" them in the middle. Next cut a like number, same thickness, with the same cutter, and from puff paste, cut the middle right out of these with a plain round cutter, one inch and a half in diameter, place these rings on the other parts. These are now ready to bake. While they are baking take the piece that comes from the middle of the ring piece and roll it out a little larger, then cut three other pieces with a scalloped round cutter, each a size smaller than the others; place them on baking pans, "dock" them, wash with egg, and bake them. When these parts are all baked, if the hole is not deep enough for the purpose, you can, with a knife, remove some of the pastry inside the ring. To serve these you fill the case, or part with the hole, with chopped oysters, prepared in white butter sauce, and then add the other pieces, beginning with the largest and finishing with the smallest. You will then have a pyramid about six inches high. Place small sprigs of These parsley between the part containing the oysters and the others, also a piece of parsley on each, then dish them and serve. cases will serve for oysters, lobsters, or chicken. I would here remark that oyster and other pates can be made more simply than the above, but my idea is not to attempt to teach what I presume is already known, but to furnish you with some ideas which you may use with advantage when you wish to place something more elabrate before your special guests than ordinarily. A vol au vent is made in precisely the same manner as the above oyster pates, but from eight to twelve times larger, and generally oval in shape. It is usually filled with cold fricassee of fowl or chicken. The fricassee for a vol au vent must be good and well-jellied. Before serving a vol au 'vent, place it on an oval dish and garnish it tastefully with aspic jelly, parsley, and cut root flowers. An ordinary size for a vol au vent would be a case large enough to hold a fricassee of one large fowl or two chickens.