some of its fat rubbed into the flour to
tenderize, and some rolled in for flakiness.
The first American recipes — Amelia
Simmons’s “Puff Pastes for Tarts” — are
notable for their terseness and variety. She
gives several; here are three.
No. 1. Rub one pound of butter into one
pound of flour, whip 2 whites and add with
cold water and one yolk; make into paste,
roll in six or seven times one pound of
butter, flouring it each roll. This is good
for any small thing.
No. 3. To any quantity of flour, rub in
three fourths of its weight in butter (twelve
eggs to a peck), rub in one third or half,
and roll in the rest.
No. 8. Rub in one and half pound of suet
to six pounds of flour, and a spoon full of
salt, wet with cream, roll in, in six or eight
times, two and half pounds of butter —
good for a chicken or meat pie.
— American Cookery, 1796