PASTRY MAKING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 April 1940, Page 8

PASTRY MAKING

TRY YOUR HAND AGAIN. s Pastries, for both sweetmeats and ; real meats, are popular in almost every household, but there are many wo- ’ men who. having failed in their initial ? attempts .are afraid to attempt pas-try-making ’again. The cooler the conditions when making pastry and the cooler the ingredients and utensils, the lighter the pastry. The less liquid and the more fat you put in short crust, the shorter it will be. ' Roll as lightly as possible. Make an opening in the centre of pies or tarts to allow the steam to escape. When making pastry-cases for cooked or fresh fruit fillings, prick the . bottom of the crust full of holes with a fork to allow the steam to escape • while baking. Brush fruit pies and tarts with . water and dredge with fine sugar, when the pastry is half cooked, if you want a glazed crust. Brush the pastry for meat pies and patties with equal quantities of milk and beaten egg, being careful not to glaze the edges, or the pastry will not rise. Try your hand at these recipes:— Beefsteak Pie. Take 21b round steak. 11 teaspoonfuls salt, 11 cupfuls water, lib flaky pastry. 2 tablespoonfuls flour, I teaspoonful pepper. 2 slices minced onion, fat. Cut the meat into thin slices. Mix the flour, salt and pepper oh a plate. Dip each slice of meat into the seasoned bour. Put a small piece of fat on each. Roll up and place in a deep dish. Sprinkle with the onion. Add water, cover, and bake in a moderate oven till the meat is tender. Roll the pastry slightly larger than the top of the dish. Cut strips about half an inch wide. Moisten the rim of the dish with water. Lay on the strips. Moisten and lay on cover. Press the edges together. Trim the edges. Cut a hole in the centre. Brush the top over with egg. Decorate with leaves of pastry. Bake in a quick oven at first, then reduce the temperature and finish cooking.

L Picnic Pies. ■- Take lib flaky pastry, 1 tablespoon- - nil flour, 1 onion, loz butter, fib cookc cd meat. 1 cupful gravy, or waler. Cut the gristle or fat from cold meat. c Use veal, beef, pork or mutton. Mince the meat finely. Melt butter. Fry 1 onion, finely minced, in butter, till ’■ well cooked, but not coloured. Shake - in flour and stir till smooth, then add I liquid and boil up. Put in meat and ■ J season well. Roll out pastry, thinly cut into rounds, then line greased < patty-tins. Prick the bottom of each • with a fork. Fill up with prepared meal, moisten edges with cold water. ' and cover with second round. Orna- • ment with strips of pastry, prick with i a fork, and make a hole in the centre ? to allow steam to escape. Brush over with beaten egg and bake in a quid'; | oven. I Rich Puff Pastry. 1 'fake lib flour, .Hb butter. 1 egg . yolk, pinch of sail. 1 teaspoonful lem- ; on juice. . Wash the butter in cold water and ’> squeeze it well, just as though you > wore kneading it in the water. Sift the flour into a bowl, and add the salt, beat the egg yolk with a wineglass ol cold water and the lemon juice, and stir into flour. Turn the paste on to a well-floured board or marble slab and leave it for five minutes, Thon roll it out, take a third of the butter, break it in very small pieces, place these on the pastry, sprinkle them with flour, fold in tnree, and roll out lightly. Leave the paste for ten minutes, then repeal the process with the other two portions of butter, leaving the pastry ten minutes between each rolling. It is now ready for use. but it is better ;f stood in a cold place for one or two hours first. Bake in a brisk oven. Flaky Pastry. Puke lib Hour. soz butter or margarine, 1 saltspooni'iil cream of tartar, a good pinch of salt, cold water. , Sift the flour carefully, mix it with lhe cream of tartar and salt. Pat the butler into small marbles as you would for table use, and drop these into the flour. Stir but do not rub them in Then add a little cold water at a time, stirring it until enough has been added to lorm a paste. Be careful not to add 100 much; this pastry should be rather dry. Roll it out lightly on a well-floured board. Fold tho pasti’.V in throe and roll again. Repeat this .hi-oo times only, rolling in one direction. Lot the pastry stand for ten minutes between each rolling. Alter tile third it is ready for use.