VERY GOOD PUFF PASTE
Ingredients
To every 1lb (pound) of flour allow 1 lb of butter, and not quite 1/2-pint water. (For my apple pie I used 1 lb of each which made plenty of pastry with some to spare for another pie.)
Method
Carefully weigh the flour and butter to make sure you have the exact proportions.
Sift the flour; see that it is perfectly dry and proceed in the following manner to make the paste.
Supposing the quantity to be one pound of flour, work the whole into a smooth paste with not quite half a pint of water, using a knife to mix it with; the proportion of this latter ingredient (the water) must be regulated by the discretion of the cook; if too much be added, the paste when baked, will be tough. Roll it out until it is of an equal thickness of about an inch; break four oz of the butter into small pieces; place these on the paste sift over it a little flour, fold it over, roll out again, and put another four oz. of butter. Repeat the rolling and buttering until the paste has been rolled out four times, or equal quantities of flour and butter have been use. Do not omit, every time the paste is rolled out to dredge a little flour over that and the rolling pin, to prevent both from sticking. Handle the paste as lightly as possible, and do not press heavily upon it with the rolling pin.
APPLE PIE:
Ingredients:
Puff Paste
2lbs apples, for every 1lb of apples allow 2 oz of moist sugar
1/2 teaspoonful of finely minced lemon peel
1 tablespoonful of lemon juice.
Method:
Make half a pound of puff paste; roll out and place in a pie dish and fill it with apples, pared, cored and cut into slices (for our apple pie we cooked down the apple first with some of the sugar and a little butter and cinnamon as we prefer soft mushy apple pie filling!); sweeten with most sugar (this is simply granulated sugar with a tiny amount of water added), add the lemon peel and juice and two to three tablespoons of water (if using sliced apples); cover with pastry top cut it evenly round close to the edge of the pie dish and brush over with the white of an egg; bake in a hot oven (200 degrees C). This should be sufficient for 6 persons.
