Vol-au-Vent Crust

Prepare a puff paste with one pound of fine, dry flour and one pound of good butter, proceeding as for No. 146; give it six and a half turns, and when the paste is made, lay it on a floured baking tin, and set on top of it a model of tin or heavy cardboard having the exact dimensions desired for the vol-an-vent, cut the paste all around this with a small, heated knife, following the outlines of the model, but keeping the knife slightly inclined outward. As soon as the vol-au-vent is cut, turn it with one stroke upside down on to another dampened round baking sheet, being careful not to injure its shape; groove the edges lightly with the back of a knife as represented in in the plate (Fig. 112); egg the surface over, and trace a ring, using the tip of a small knife an inch and a half from the edge, then in the center of this ring trace four or five light incisions to form lozenges. Bake the vol-au-vent in a hot oven for thirty minutes or more according to its size, opening the oven as little as possible. When the paste is dry and a fine color, take it out, open it by lifting up the center cover, and empty it of all the uncooked paste within, lay the vol-au-vent on to a dish, and keep it warm in the heater, not allowing the crust to get cold before using it. Small vol-au-vent crusts may be prepared the same way, using a three and a half inch pastry cutter to cut them with.