(South Kensington School of Cookery.)

This pastry will serve for most purposes for which puff paste is used; it is better than most home-made puff paste, and takes no longer to make than common short paste, while puff paste is the most laborious work of the kitchen.

Have the butter as hard as possible, the chopping-bowl and knife cold. Take eight ounces of flour and six of butter; put them in a chopping-bowl and chop together, not too fine; make a hole in the centre of the flour and butter, in which put the yolk of one egg, a quarter saltspoonful of salt and a teaspoonful of lemon juice and a tablespoonful of ice-water; break the egg in this water with a knife; then slowly and lightly mix it all with the fingers, using more water if necessary to form a stiff paste. Handle it lightly; keep the hands and board well floured that the paste may not stick.

Take the rolling-pin, flour it, and roll out the paste into an oblong sheet half an inch thick; fold it one-third over, then the other third over that (you have now a neat piece of three thicknesses); turn the rough edges toward you, roll it out again, and fold in the same way; do so once more, always turning the rough edges toward you, and it is ready to use at once; but if the day is hot and you have time to lay it on the ice for a short time it will be better; also, if during the process of rolling it shows signs of sticking, laying it on the ice in a tin for a few minutes, will make your work the easier.

The only art in this pastry is to follow directions exactly, and to handle lightly. Many will say, "I have not a light hand." I answer : Every woman has a light hand if she is handling white satin or velvet. Handle pastry as delicately as if it were satin or velvet and the pile would crush.

Before using this paste, read chapter on Pastry (part first); all that relates to using puff paste applies to this.

This paste made one day, or only mixed, and once rolled and folded, and finished and used the next, is always better, and in ice may be kept two or three days and be the better for it.

I find it a good plan in summer when I want to make paste, to put chopping-bowl and knife and rolling-pin in or on the ice-box, and have the pastry board as cool as you can. With soft butter and warm tools you can never have flaky or light paste.

Patties are among the most acceptable entrees, and with the South Kensington rough puff paste very easy to make, although the cases can be bought ready at a pastry cook's and filled at home.