Paste For Hot Raised Pies

For a dish of entrees, take a pound of flour, half a pound of fresh butter, three yolks of eggs, and a pinch of salt. Sift the flour on the dresser, through a sieve that you keep for that purpose. Make a hole in the middle of the flour, put the butter, eggs, and salt into it, with about half a pint of clear water. Work this together in summer. In winter mix the butter first ; in summer you may ice the butter, and use iced-water, that the paste may not be too soft. It is no easy matter to give directions in writing, for dressing the pie. After having made the paste with great care, make a ball, spread it on the dresser with a rolling-pin, then put it over a double buttered paper, and proceed to raise it all round, by pressing with your fingers, till you are able to form a round, and deep shape, like the inside of a hat; then with two of your fingers press gently all round the bottom, to make a little projecting border; when you have done this equally, decorate it to the best of your ingenuity, line the inside with slices of fat bacon, and fill the pie with remnants of paste cut small, or with some chopped beef-suet; then put on a cover of paste, soldering it well with the border, having first rubbed it over with a brush dipped in water; after you have put on the ornaments, rub the paste lightly over with a brush dipped in omelette (called dorure or gilding,) and then bake the pie; when done, cut out the cover, empty well the inside, and use it for either pie or souffle. You may sometimes use for these, the paste made with hot water, which follows; but that paste is not eatable. It answers, however, just as well, for gentlemen rarely eat the crust.

Hot Water Paste

Throw into an earthen pan as much flour as you want for your quantity of paste. Pour some boiling water into a stew-pan with a large lump of butter and some salt Lay the whole on the corner of the fire till the butter is entirely melted. As you are to dilute the paste with boiling water, use a wooden spoon to beat it, but; mind not to make it too soft: when you have beaten it well with the spoon first, remove it from the earthen pan, work it well on the dresser, and place it for a moment, covered in a cloth, before the fire, that you may work it more easily. This paste may make either cold or hot pies, as directed above (See Pate Brisee, page 366.) This paste does not taste so nice as the other, but you may work it with greater facility, and it is not liable to so many accidents.

Truffles

Be particular in smelling the truffles. Throw away those which have a musky smell; wash them well with a brush in cold water only: when very clean, pick out the larger to be served a la serviette, or au vin de Champaign, and peel the others very thin; cut them to be put into clarified butter with the saute of either fowls or game; the trimmings are used to give flavour to different consommes. When they are used with large entrees, they are done with fowl or turkey, etc. in the poele, or braize.

Truffles, With Champaign Wine

After having selected the best truffles, trim a stew-pan with slices of bacon ; put the truffles into that stew-pan, with a bunch of parsley and green onions, well seasoned*; moisten with a spoonful of good consomme, two glasses of Champaign, some salt and pepper, and if you have a good poele from fowls, put in some of it, fat and liquid together; set them to boil gently for one hour; let this cool in the stew-pan. When you wish to serve up, warm them again, and drain them in a very clean towel. Serve them up in a beautiful napkin, as white as possible, to make a contrast with the black of the truffles.

Truffles A L' Italienne

Wash and trim the truffles as above; cut them in slices about the size of a penny-piece; put them into a saute pan, with parsley and a little shalot chopped fine, some salt and pepper, and a little butter; put them on the fire, and stir them that they may fry equally; when they are done, which will be in about ten minutes, drain off some of the butter;

* Seasoned, means to put to it, thyme, bay-leaves, cloves, sweet basil, then put a little fresh butter, a spoonful of Espagnole sauce, the juice of one lemon, a little Cayenne pepper, and serve very hot. This is a relish.