Fine Puff Paste

Ingredients:

4 cups sifted flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1 cup lard (cold)
12 cup ice-water
1 egg white


Preparation:

  • Mix sifted flour with two teaspoons of baking powder and a teaspoon of salt; then sift again.
  • Take the lard and rub into the flour until a very fine smooth paste.
  • Then put in just enough ice-water, about half a cup, containing a beaten white of egg, to mix a very stiff dough.
  • Boll it out into a thin sheet, spread with one-fourth of the butter, sprinkle over with a little flour, then roll up closely in a long roll, like a scroll, double the ends towards the centre, flatten and re-roll, then spread again with another quarter of the butter. Repeat this operation until the butter is used up.
  • Put prepared paste in plastic container, cover it and refrigerate.
  • Keep it refrigerated at least one hour or more before making out the crust.

NOTE: Tarts made with this paste cannot be cut with a knife when fresh; they go into flakes at the touch, so prepare them at least one day in advance.

Real Cooking
Did You Know?
Originally pies were not intended for desserts. Rather, they were used as the main dish of the meal, as they contained a filling of meat or fish and vegetables. Such pies are still made, but they are not usually the ones intended when pastry for pies is mentioned.

Pies having one crust usually contain a filling that consists of a custard mixture, a mixture thickened with corn starch or flour, or occasionally a fruit mixture. Some pies also have a top crust covering the filling, and when this is the case a fruit filling, either fresh or cooked, is the kind that is generally used.