oz. of the butter, and then make a hole in the
centre; into this well put the yolks of 2 eggs, the salt, and about 1/4
pint of water (the quantity of this latter ingredient must be regulated
by the cook, as it is impossible to give the exact proportion of it);
knead up the paste quickly and lightly, and, when quite smooth, roll it
out square to the thickness of about 1/2 inch. Presuming that the butter
is perfectly free from moisture, and _as cool_ as possible, roll it into
a ball, and place this ball of butter on the paste; fold the paste over
the butter all round, and secure it by wrapping it well all over.
Flatten the paste by rolling it lightly with the rolling-pin until it is
quite thin, but not thin enough to allow the butter to break through,
and keep the board and paste dredged lightly with flour during the
process of making it. This rolling gives it the _first_ turn. Now fold
the paste in three, and roll out again, and, should the weather be very
warm, put it in a cold place on the ground to cool between the several
turns; for, unless this is particularly attended to, the paste will be
spoiled. Roll out the paste again _twice_, put it by to cool, then roll
it out _twice_ more, which will make 6 _turnings_ in all. Now fold the
paste in two, and it will be ready for use. If properly baked and well
made, this crust will be delicious, and should rise in the oven about 5
or 6 inches. The paste should be made rather firm in the first instance,
as the ball of butter is liable to break through. Great attention must
also be paid to keeping the butter very cool, as, if this is in a liquid
and soft state, the paste will not answer at all. Should the cook be
dexterous enough to succeed in making this, the paste will have a much
better appearance than that made by the process of dividing the butter
into 4 parts, and placing it over the rolled-out paste; but, until
experience has been acquired, we recommend puff-paste made by recipe No.
1205. The above paste is used for vols-au-vent, small articles of
pastry, and, in fact, everything that requires very light crust.

_Average cost_, 1s. 6d. per lb.

WHAT TO DO WITH RANCID BUTTER.--When butter has become very
rancid, it should be melted several times by a moderate heat,
with or without the addition of water, and as soon as it has
been well kneaded, after the cooling, in order to extract any
water it may have retained, it should be put into brown
frees