One of the oldest and most current modes of cooking, either by mixing oil or butter with the flour, sweetened, scented, or flavoured, according to the fancy of the cook, is pastry. The Romans had their peculiar cakes of paste, the Egyptians had theirs; in fact, all countries have, during the periods of the greatest prosperity, endeavoured to add to the number of their luxuries new modes of making paste. With none of these have we, at the present moment, anything to do; our task is to show how paste can be made to suit everybody.

My excellent Eloise, I think you are wrong, for once, in proposing that I should give various receipts for sweet pastry. I know you possess a sweet tooth, but let those who require first-class sweet dishes, purchase our “Modern Housewife;” no doubt their pocket is equal to their taste; at any rate, the few I now give will, if properly made by a person of taste, lead them to do others that might vie with the most expensive dishes.

The following receipts will be continually referred to, therefore they ought to be made with care.