Of different sorts of Paste.
The variety of pastes is to the pastry what first stocks are to soups and sauces, and must be very properly first described, particularly as it is here to which I must refer my readers for paste even used for the hors-d’œuvres and entrées; to succeed you must be particular in your proportions, and very careful in the mixing, for although there is nothing more simple if pains be taken, so will the least neglect produce a failure, nor is it only with the making of the paste that pains must be taken, but likewise with the baking, for as paste badly made would not improve in baking, neither will paste, however well made, be good if badly baked; should the oven be too hot the paste would become set and burn before it was done; and, again, if too cold it would give the paste a dull heavy appearance, but an oven properly heated (which can be readily known by a little attention on the part of those in the habit of using it) will give it a clear brilliant appearance.
For every description of pastry made from puff paste, try if the oven is hot by placing your hand about half way in, and hold it there about a quarter of a minute, if you can hold it there that time without inconvenience it would not be hot enough, but if you cannot judge of the heat, the safest method would be, try a piece of the paste previous to baking the whole; I apply these few observations to all my readers, but particularly to the uninstructed, as a person of continual practice cannot fail to be aware of the truth of them.