Best Betty Crockers 1956 Simplified Puff Pastry Recipes

CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. In 2 1/2-quart saucepan, heat water and butter to rolling boil. Stir in flour; reduce heat to low. Stir vigorously over low heat about 1 minute or until mixture forms a ball; remove from heat. Beat in eggs, all at once; continue beating until smooth.
• On ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by slightly less than 1/4 cupfuls about 3 inches apart. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until puffed and golden. Cool away from draft, about 30 minutes.
• Make one of the fillings (directions below). Cut off top third of each puff and pull out any strands of soft dough. Fill puffs with filling; replace tops. Cover; refrigerate until serving. Store covered in refrigerator. Eggnog Fluff Filling: In large bowl, beat pudding mix, milk, rum extract, nutmeg and ginger with electric mixer on low speed until well blended. Add whipping cream; beat on high speed 1 to 2 minutes or until soft peaks form. Fill puffs. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate up to 3 hours. Just before serving, sprinkle with powdered sugar or brush tops with light corn syrup and sprinkle with colored sugar or nonpareils. Peppermint Whipped Cream Filling: In large bowl, beat ingredients with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fill puffs. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate up to 4 hours.

VANILLA CREAM NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. Lightly spray 2 cookie sheets with cooking spray. On lightly floured surface, unfold pastry sheets. Cut each sheet into 3 strips along fold marks. Place on cookie sheet; prick lightly with fork all over strips. Repeat with remaining pastry sheet and second cookie sheet.
• Bake about 5 minutes. Prick surfaces of pastries with fork to prevent pastries from rising too much during baking. Bake 10 minutes longer or until golden brown. Remove pastries from cookie sheets; cool 10 to 15 minutes.
• In large bowl, beat pudding mix, 2 cups milk, vanilla and sour cream with electric mixer on medium speed until soft pudding forms. Cover; refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes.
• In small bowl, stir powdered sugar and 3 teaspoons milk. If icing is too thick, stir in another teaspoon milk until spreadable consistency.
• On 1 pastry layer, spread about 3/4 cup pudding. Repeat with another pastry layer and 3/4 cup pudding. Top with third pastry layer. Spread icing over top. Set aside. Repeat to make second dessert with remaining pastries, pudding and icing.
• In microwavable small bowl, microwave chocolate chips uncovered on High about 30 seconds or until chocolate can be stirred smooth. Drizzle chocolate back and forth across top of each dessert. Drag toothpick through chocolate and icing to create marbled appearance.
• Cut desserts into 2-inch slices. Cover; refrigerate until ready to serve.

DANISH PUFF

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Place 1 cup flour in medium bowl. Cut in 1/2 cup softened butter, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are size of coarse crumbs. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons water over mixture; toss with fork.
• Gather pastry into a ball; divide in half. Pat each half into 12x3-inch rectangle, about 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
• In 2-quart saucepan, heat 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup water to rolling boil; remove from heat. Quickly stir in almond extract and 1 cup flour. Stir vigorously over low heat about 1 minute or until mixture forms a ball; remove from heat. Add eggs; beat until smooth. Spread half of the topping over each rectangle.
• Bake about 1 hour or until topping is crisp and brown; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely.
• In medium bowl, mix all glaze ingredients except nuts until smooth and spreadable. Spread over top of pastry; sprinkle with nuts.

PUFF PASTRY-TOPPED CHICKEN PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. On lightly floured surface, unfold pastry sheets, pressing fold marks flat and sealing any tears. Measure diameter of soup plate or bowl to be used as serving dishes. Using small sharp knife, cut 12 tree shapes from pastry, about 4 to 5 inches tall and wide, to fit in soup plate. Reroll cut dough to 1/4-inch thickness as necessary to cut all trees.
• On ungreased cookie sheets, arrange pastry trees 1/2 inch apart. Brush with egg. Bake about 8 minutes or until puffed and golden brown.
• Meanwhile, in 4-quart Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add celery and onions; cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender but not browned. Stir in flour until no lumps remain. Slowly add broth, half-and-half and wine, stirring constantly. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly; cook 2 to 3 minutes or until slightly thickened.
• Stir in mixed vegetables, chicken, tarragon, salt and pepper; cook 2 to 3 minutes longer or until hot. Remove from heat. Spoon about 1 1/4 cups chicken mixture into each soup plate. Top with pastry tree.

ALMOND DANISH PUFF

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350ºF.
• Cut 1/2 cup softened butter into 1 cup flour, using pastry blender or crisscrossing 2 knives, until particles are size of coarse crumbs.
• Sprinkle 2 tablespoons water over mixture; mix with fork.
• Gather pastry into ball; divide in half.
• Pat each half into rectangle, 12x3 inches, about 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Heat remaining 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup water to rolling boil in 2-quart saucepan; remove from heat.
• Quickly stir in almond extract and 1 cup flour.
• Stir vigorously over low heat about 1 minute or until mixture forms a ball; remove from heat.
• Add eggs; beat until smooth. Spread half of the topping over each rectangle.
• Bake about 1 hour or until topping is crisp and brown; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely.
• Spread with Creamy Almond Glaze; sprinkle with almonds.
• Creamy Almond Glaze:
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar; 2-3 tbsp butter, softened; 1/2 to 1 tsp almond extract; 1-2 tbsp warm water or milk.
• Mix all ingredients until smooth and spreadable and glaze the Danish puff.

BETTY CROCKER'S 1956 SIMPLIFIED PUFF PASTRY

Steps:

• 1. Measure flour into mixing bowl,and mix salt through it. With a pastry blender, cut in shortening until shortening particles are the size of giant peas. Sprinkle with water, a Tbsp. at a time...mixing lightly with a fork until all the flour is moistened. Gather dough together with fingers so it cleans the bowl. Press firmly into a ball. Then roll out, or keep in waxed paper in refrigerator. --- For the Puff Pastry: When you make the pie dough and are ready to roll it out- roll to 1/8 - inch thick. Dot with 1/3 cup of firm but not hard butter or not to soft. Fold dough onto itself over butter 1/2 way so both sides meet in the middle... seal by pressing side edges of pastry with fingers. Fold ends to the center and seal. Then wrap in waxed paper and chill. When ready to roll out, for pie like you normally would or roll out and cut into 4 inch squares or circles and make into tart shells. makes about 10 tart shells.