Miss Parloa's kitchen companion

Take one of the cakes of butter from the refrigerator, and cut it into bits ; spread these over the paste, and sprinkle lightly with flour. Fold the paste — one-fourth from each side — so that the edges meet ; then fold from the ends, but do not have these meet. Now double the paste, pound lightly, and roll down to about onethird of an inch in thickness. Fold as before, and roll again. Now spread another cake of the butter as before ; sprinkle with flour, and fold. Roll down to about an inch in thickness ; place the paste in a thin napkin ; and lay this in the empty cake-pan, which has been kept between the two pans of ice. Let the paste chill for twenty minutes. At the end of that time roll it down to the thickness of one-fourth of an inch ; fold it as described before, and roll it once more. Now add the last of the butter, and roll and chill as before. When it has been chilled for twenty minutes, take it to the board again and roll it down twice, each time having it about one-third of an inch, or less, in thickness. After the second rolling fold it in the middle and then double it. Roll it gently until it is about the size of the pan in which it cooled, being careful to have it equally thick in every part. Place it in the pan, and let it chill for one hour or more. It is now ready for use. A word of caution, — use as little flour as possible in rolling the paste. Let each stroke of the rolling-pin be light and even. Be sure that the last chilling is thorough. Chopped Puff Paste. This paste is made quickly, and is very satisfactory, although not so delicate or light as genuine puff paste. Into a chopping-tray put one quart of sifted flour, one table-spoonful of sugar, one teaspoonful of salt, and two cupfuls of unwashed butter. Beat two eggs very light, and add to them half a cupful of ice- water and one table- spoonful of lemon juice. Chop the butter and flour together until the butter is reduced to lumps about the size of a pea. Then gradually add the mixture of egg, lemon juice, and water, chopping all the while. When all the mixture has been used, sprinkle the moulding-board with flour, and turn the paste on to it. Roll and fold the same as for puff paste. Do this three or four times. Chill and use the same as puff paste. This paste may be used without chilling, but it will not be so light and delicate as if thoroughly chilled. * Plain Paste for Pies. For eight pies of medium size use two quarts of sifted flour, one cupful of lard, one of butter, one table-spoonful of salt, two of sugar, and about a cupful and a half of cold water. Eeserve half a cupful of the flour, and put the remainder into a chopping-tray with the salt, sugar, lard, and butter. Chop until all these ingredients are thoroughly blended ; then add the water, a little at a time, chopping all the while. When the water gets well mixed with the other ingredients there should be a stiff paste. Sprinkle the moulding-board with some of the reserved flour, and, putting the paste upon it, roll down to the thickness of about a quarter of an inch. Fold the paste and roll it down again ; and repeat the operation three