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Pastries
cannelon shell
Cannelons or Fried Puffs (Fried cannelon shells using puff paste)
Originated from: Italy, Europe and North America
Occasion: Any time & special times
Contributed by: Taken from "The White House Cookbook" by F.L. Gillette & Hugo Ziemann (1887)

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Ingredients

Pastry dough
1/2 pound of puff paste (see following)

FINE PUFF PASTE.
1 quart of sifted flour
2 teaspoonfuls of baking powder
1 teaspoonful of salt
1 teacupful of butter
1 teacupful of lard, hard and cold
half a cupful of ice-water
1 beaten white of egg

For filling
fresh berries, apricot or any kind of preserve


For frying
hot lard

For dusting
sifted sugar



Directions

FINE PUFF PASTE.

Into one quart of sifted flour mix two teaspoonfuls of baking powder and a teaspoonful of salt; then sift again. Measure out one teacupful of butter and one of lard, hard and cold.

Take the lard and rub into the flour until a very fine smooth paste.

Then put in just enough ice-water, say half a cupful, containing a beaten white of egg, to mix a very stiff dough. Boll it out into a thin sheet, spread with one-fourth of the butter, sprinkle over with a little flour, then roll up closely in a long roll, like a scroll, double the ends towards the centre, flatten and re-roll, then spread again with another quarter of the butter.

Repeat this operation until the butter is used up. Put it on an earthen dish, cover it with a cloth and set it in a cold place, in the ice box in summer; let it remain until cold; an hour or more before making out the crust.



CANNELONS, OR FRIED PUFFS.

Half a pound of puff paste, apricot or any kind of preserve that may be preferred, hot lard.



Cannelons, which are made of puff paste rolled very thin, with jam enclosed, and cut out in long, narrow rolls or puffs, make a very pretty and elegant dish.

Make some good puff paste, roll it out very thin, and cut it into pieces of an equal size, about two inches wide and eight inches long; place upon each piece a spoonful of jam, wet the edges with the white of egg and fold the paste over twice; slightly press the edges together, that the jam may not escape in the frying, and when all are prepared, fry them in boiling lard until of a nice brown, letting them remain by the side of the fire after they are colored, that the paste may be thoroughly done.

Drain them before the fire, dish on a d'oyley, sprinkle over them sifted sugar and serve. These cannelons are very delicious made with fresh instead of preserved fruit, such as strawberries, raspberries or currants; they should be laid in the paste, plenty of pounded sugar sprinkled over and folded and fried in the same manner as stated above.




Notes

The recipe in this entry was taken from "The White House Cook, Cooking, toilet and Household Recipes, Menus, Dinner-Giving, Table Etiquette, Care of the Sick, Health Suggestions, Facts Worth Knowing, etc. etc. The Whole Comprising a Comprehensive Cyclopedia of Information for the Home," by Mrs. F.L. Gillette and Hugo Ziemann, Steward of the White House (1887). "In presenting to the public the "WHITE HOUSE COOK BOOK," the publishers believe they can justly claim that it more fully represents the progress and present perfection of the culinary art than any previous work.... EVERY RECIPE HAS BEEN TRIED AND TESTED, and can be relied upon as one of the best of its kind. It is comprehensive, filling completely, it is believed, the requirements of housekeepers of all classes." For the entire copyright-free cookbook visit www.gutenberg.org.... Photo: Mary Melfi.

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