1302. PITHIVIERS CAKES.
INGREDIENTS required:—Half a pound of puff-paste, eight ounces of almonds or nuts, six ounces of sugar, four ounces of butter, two ounces of ratifias, a spoonful of orange-flower-water, the yolks of four eggs, and a very little salt.
First, pound the almonds with a little white of egg, until they be-come pulverised; then add the remainder of the ingredients, and pound the whole well together until thoroughly incorporated, when it should present the appearance of a rather soft creamy paste; take this up in a basin.
While the above preparation is going on, half a pound of puff-paste should be made, to which seven turns or foldings must be given; take two-thirds of this, and knead, or rather fold it, by twisting over the corners, so as to form it into a cushion; knead the other piece in a similar manner, and then roll them both out in a circular or oval form, to the size of a small dish or dessert plate; place the thinnest piece on a baking-sheet, wet round the edges with a paste-brush dipped in water; fill the whole of the centre with a layer of Pithiviers cream about an inch thick, and place the other piece of puff-paste over the top of this; press it all round the edge, by bearing on it with the thumb of the right hand; then trim the edges round neatly (in the manner practised to cut a vol-au-vent), and with the point of a small knife, handled lightly and freely, sketch or mark out some neat or elegant design, such as a lyre, a vase of flowers, a helmet with flow-