FRENCH PASTE FOR TARTS, &c
From French cookery adapted for English families (1853).
A historical recipe
French cookery adapted for English families, by Frances Crawford (1853).
France
Known as a French recipe, with similar versions prepared across other nations.
From an old book: a historical recipe, not current advice. Its methods, additives and storage may be unsafe by today's standards.
Ingredients 2 ingredients
Cook safely
Keep children and pets away from the hob and the oven, and keep oven gloves and a lid within reach.
- Boiling water and steam. Turn pan handles inward, away from the edge of the hob. Lift lids away from you, and pour hot water away from your body: steam burns too.
- Sharp knives. Cut on a board that doesn't slip (a damp cloth under it helps), and curl the fingers of the hand that holds the food.
Method
Chef Wood
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- This is one of the most difficult things to make well, and requires care and practice, as the best cooks often fail.
- The following will be found good : take your flour and put it on the table in a little heap, make a hole in the middle, and put in it butter^ salt^ yolks of eggs^ and a glass of water.
- Knead and mix it well ;
- when it is neither too soft nor too hard put it in a bowl^ and let it stand twenty minutes.
- After standing twenty minutes, shake a little flour over the paste-board and roll out your paste, flatten half a pound or a pound of butter, according to the quantity of paste you make, let it be half the size of the paste nearly, double it over the butter, roll it out, then fold it in three and again rc^ it out, do this five or six times, shaking flour over the board, let it stand a quarter of an hour between each time you roll it ;
- after the sixth time the paste is finished.
- In winter, when the butter is too hard, soften it by putting it in a warm place for a few minutes, or warm a bowl in boiling water and put it over your butter, in a few minutes it will be fit for use, and use lukewarm water to mix the paste.
- In summer, put your butter in cold water to make it firm.
Plating
Cookware for this recipe
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Saucepan
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Mixing bowl
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Chef's knife
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Rolling pin