(For Eclairs, Cream Buns, etc.)

Required: Four ounces of flour. Two ounces of butter. Half a pint of boiling water. A few grains of salt. Castor sugar and vanilla to taste. Two eggs and one extra yolk.

Put the water and butter in a saucepan, bring them to the boil, then add the flour and salt. Take the pan off the fire, and beat the mixture well with a wooden spoon until it is smooth and free from lumps. Then put the pan over a gentle heat, and stir the mixture well until it can be rolled about the pan without sticking to the sides.

Let the mixture cool slightly, then beat in the eggs one by one. Next add the sugar and vanilla, and the paste will be ready for use. Let it get perfectly cold before handling it.

Great care is required when cooking the "panada" - that is, the mixture of water, butter, and flour. If it is overcooked, the butter will ooze out, and the mixture be spoilt.